


The Quest of a Lifetime

by Floopaslopp



Series: Next Gen Collection [1]
Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Adorabat accidentally makes one, Angst, Bubble Bath, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Morning Sickness, Mostly Badgerclops and Tanya swears, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Planning for this to have about 20 chapters?, Sex Jokes, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Swearing, The newest episodes kinda make this canon divergent, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vomiting, but only slightly - Freeform, mention of miscarriage, tanyamao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-01-30 01:37:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21420058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floopaslopp/pseuds/Floopaslopp
Summary: Badgerclop snorted. "So I'm guessing you're not gonna give it back to us without a-""Fight? Brawl?" Tanya stepped forward, and Mao Mao's sword immediately flew up to point at her chest. "Dance?" She winked at the black cat, and a blush immediately erupted upon his face. The Tanuki smirked knowingly at his reaction and stepped back. "Unfortunately not. Actually, I was hoping to do this without seeing you at all, but here we all."Mao Mao guffawed, "Of course we're here! No crime happens in this Valley without Mao Mao knowing about it!" He grinned proudly for a few more seconds before her words began to sink in. "Wait… what do you mean you didn't want to see me?"
Relationships: Mao Mao & Adorabat, Mao Mao & Badgerclops, Mao Mao/Tanya Keys, Tanya Keys & Badgerclops
Series: Next Gen Collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770625
Comments: 70
Kudos: 129





	1. Heist

At times like this, Mao Mao wished he had kept Tony. There was barely enough room for the three of them on Sophia; with Badgerclops laying on his side like he was being drawn like a french girl, Adorabat hanging her leg off the back of the couch, with the rest of her limbs spread out wide and far, and Mao Mao lazily sitting with his chin in his hand. The cat was amazed the couch hadn't snapped in half from their weight alone. 

It was a chilly autumn afternoon, and so far it had been surprisingly quiet. No monster alarms, certainly no cries from the King; it was ramping up to be a totally normal day. 

Which to Mao Mao made it a boring day.

Mao Mao stretched his back, which was beginning to get sore from being squished against the armrest, "So, tell me again what we're doing?"

Badgerclops rolled his eye. "You seriously weren't listening dude? I explained this to you like, five minutes ago." At Mao Mao sheepish shrug, he sighed. "It's the finale for this super cool show and stuff. It's been on for years, but it got canceled a couple weeks back so they're doing a huge marathon in honor of it."

"And how long exactly is this 'marathon' supposed to be?"

"Three days of endless fun!"

Adorabat's excitable squeal drowned out Mao's groan. "I heard they're making a reboot soon too!"

"What?! But Badgerclops said they just canceled it!" 

The badger shrugged with a lazy snicker. "Haha, yeah… Isn't corporate greed a bitc-"

A sudden wail from the table interrupted him, and on instinct, both Adorabat and Mao Mao shot to their feet. 

"That's the King's alarm!" She exclaimed, which caused Badgerclops to groan.

"Oh c'mon, you can't be serious! He probably just stubbed his toe, or accidentally pressed it again."

The sudden harsh squeal of radio static made the heroes flinch, and Adorabat covered her large ears.

_ Bzzt~"Sheriffs, oh heavens, please come quickly! This  _ vile _ vixen broke into the castle, incapacitated my guards, interrupted my second lunch, and is trying to steal my precious crown!"~Bzzt _

"Wait, for real?" Badgerclops blinked in surprise. The line was one-way, meaning they could only receive live messages, not return them, so the badger's question luckily wasn't heard by your Highness.

"That doesn't sound like he accidentally pressed it." Adorabat frowned.

"We have to get there as soon as possible!" Mao growled, and turned towards the pole down to the garage; only to pause when he heard the radio turn on once more.

_ Bzzt~"I've hidden myself away in my  _ amazing  _ closet, that doubles as a panic room, but I fear she may be attempting to break- oh, what's this? She slid something underneath the door… it looks like a… leaf? I don't-"~BZZZZT _

The sheriffs’ eyes widened in recognition, just in time as a familiar jingle of transformation buzzed through the radio, alongside the king's yelp. 

"Was that who I think it was?" Badgerclops mumbled, beginning to realize he  _ definitely _ wouldn't be able to watch his show today.

" _ Tanya Keys..."  _ Mao Mao growled, confirming his friend's fears.

The radio crackled with static, and there was the faint sound of voices, but nothing Mao Mao could clearly make out. The trio was silent for a few seconds, clearly trying to wrap their mind around the fact that  _ Tanya Keys _ was back in town.

"...I guess I could record the stuff we miss." Badgerclops gestured to the TV, clearly disappointed.

Mao Mao snorted, and once again began to jog to the poles. "If your precious show is three days long, an hour really shouldn't matter."

_ Not to mention the fact the King is in mortal danger! That's also important to remember.  _ Mao Mao added silently.

"Last time you said one of these things was going to take an hour, we were lost in the forest for a week." 

"I never would have guessed bark would taste so bad!" Adorabat added with a giggle, before sliding down her pole to the garage. The bat's words clearly ended the conversation, and with one final look at the TV, Badgerclops followed suite; Mao Mao behind him. 

* * *

It was  _ disgustingly _ easy for Tanya to slip into the King's panic room. All she had to do was transform into her signature leaf, slide underneath the door,  _ which weren't even airtight _ , and turn back into her lovely self. It was  _ horrendously _ boring. Not even the sight of the King's crown on top of his screaming head could cheer her up. If anything, his pleas we're making her feel sick.  _ Ugh, would he be quiet already? It's worsening my already pounding headache... _

"Get back, get back, you  _ heathen _ !" The King wailed, half-heartedly swinging a fire poker at the Tanuki. Pushing the pain aside, she smirked, turning one of her leaves into a magnet; successfully pulling the weapon out of his paws, and into hers. The leaf once again turned back to normal and fluttered to the ground.  _ Ha! Now that made him shut up. _

"It's an  _ honor _ to meet you, Your Highness." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down where he lay. "I'd love for some small talk, but unfortunately I'm a bit tight on time, so let's skip to the point. We both know what I'm here for."

The lion scoffed, "Y-you'll never find it! I won't allow it!"

Tanya raised an eyebrow, and glanced where the crown laid on his head, "Did you hit your head when you fell, sweetie? I  _ have _ already found it. Now give it here before I-"

"Do y-you  _ really _ believe I would wear my family's most famous, and  _ fabulous _ , heirloom to  _ second _ -lunch?! Ha! That would be ridiculous, even for me!" The King interrupted, grinning smugly, "You shall  _ never _ find the real one! Ohh, aren't I  _ devilishly _ clever!"

Tanya's smirk faded, but only slightly.  _ How couldn't I tell that was a fake? I suppose the headache certainly isn’t helping… but no matter. I'll deal with that later. Now, to find out where the  _ real  _ crown is… _ "Well, I suppose you ' _ leaf' _ me no choice…" The Tanuki pulled a leaf out from behind her, and within a blink of an eye, it had transformed into a fearsome ax. "Well your Majesty, I feel it would be rude for me not to ask… What limb would you miss the  _ least _ ? Or should I say…  _ leaf? _ "

The lion's eyes widened to saucers, and he looked like he was about to cry. There was barely any hesitation before he threw his head dramatically back, and gave in. "Oh, f-fine! Down the hall is a painting of my dearest parents. If you press the diamond on the left corner of the frame, it will reveal a secret room where my crown is hidden." 

_ Bingo.  _ "Do I need any codes?"

The King grimaced, and retreated even farther into his mane, "...1-2-3-4."

Tanya rolled her eyes, and her smirk returned full force; the ax in her hands poofing back into a leaf.  _ Thank God that bluff worked. _ "Thank you for making this  _ unfairly _ easy for me, Your Highness. But unfortunately, I must take my leave and-"

"The only place you're going is jail!" He suddenly cried out, clearly still quivering in fear from the thought of her ax.

Tanya paused, clearly surprised by the sudden outburst, before sliding her smug facade on once more. "Only in your dreams, sweetums."

A shaky smile returned to his muzzle.  _ I don't like the look in his eyes _ . Tanya thought to herself.

"Before you had broken into my panic room, I managed to call-"

_ Oh no. _

"-The Sheriff's department! They shall be arriving momentarily, and  _ you _ will be carried off to prison where you belong!"

Tanya's smirk finally vanished altogether, and she let out a frustrated sigh.  _ Shit. Not now! Not when everything was going so well. _ "You have made an unbelievably easy heist into something a lot more…  _ annoying _ ." 

A leaf that laid on the floor by her feet suddenly turned into a roll of rope. "Now please, your Highness, stay  _ still _ ."

A few minutes of struggling later, Tanya had managed to safely transfer the King to the main entrance hall, where she tied him to his throne; before quickly making her way back to the previous floor. _ When Mao Mao comes barging in, his first thought is going to be the safety of the King. If he sees him when he first arrives, it might make him a bit less grumpy when he catches me.  _ Tanya hesitated halfway down the long hallway. _ Or more like,  _ if  _ he catches me. _

It only took a few moments for the Tanuki to find the painting the King had spoken of. It was a beautifully painted portrait of two lions, housed inside an even prettier bejeweled frame. Tanya barely even scanned the gems before her eyes fell upon the large, almost tacky, diamond on the left side of the frame. It was almost double the size of the other jewels, and twice as shiny.  _ No doubt so Mr. Fluffybuns never forgets which one to press. _ She snorted in amusement.  _ The only problem is, well… it's quite tall.  _

The painting itself was about triple the height of the Tanuki, and with the diamond being in the top corner, making it quite impossible to reach by herself.  _ Luckily, I'm not by myself _ .

With a smirk and a flick of a leaf, a ladder popped into place right where she needed it. Tanya quickly scaled the wooden rungs, and without hesitation, gently pressed the diamond.  _ If I wasn't in such a hurry, I would pry the damn thing out and pocket it along with the crown. Probably worth more than half the buildings in the village. Ah, perhaps for another time.  _

There was a heavy  _ thunk _ inside the wall, and the painting began to swing forward out of its frame.

_ Wait, forward? _

With a startled gasp, Tanya realized too late that the door would swing into the ladder and-

_ THUNK! _

Before she could save herself with a leaf, Tanya was thrown from the falling ladder, landing nine feet onto the ground below. Winded and frustrated, the Tanuki groaned in both pain  _ and  _ anger; clutching her stomach.  _ Ow! Ugh, how the hell didn't I catch that! Foggy brain or not, only an idiot would have let that happen. And why wasn't I able to catch myself with a leaf!? That's one of the easiest techniques to do! What the hell is wrong with me?! I don't have time for this! _

Giving herself only a few seconds to recover, Tanya sat up.  _ Shit, that was a mistake!  _ The world spun around her, making it almost impossible to stand up.  _ I don't have a concussion, do I? I do feel a bit lightheaded, but I had that before the heist, alongside this stupid headache.  _ Shutting her eyes tight, the Tanuki count to ten, before blinking them open slowly. The hall had stopped moving around her, and other than an aching back and pounding head, she seemed fine.  _ Or at least tolerable. _

The thief's gaze fell to the now opened room in front of her, and at the sight of the crown, she quickly pulled herself up to shaky feet. It was in the middle of the room, laying upon a pillow on top of a small marble pedestal. There was a small glass box surrounding the jewelry, with a dainty white keypad placed on the top of it.  _ That's where the code must go. _

Taking a few steps towards the entrance, and being much more careful, Tanya snorted at the sight of the trapdoor right in the doorway.  _ Pff, they're not even trying to hide it.  _ The Tanuki gracefully hopped over it without even a second thought and made her way to the glass box. She inputted the code,  _ 1-2-3-4,  _ and it slid out of sight; revealing the crown in all its beauty.  _ Now, this is more like it. _

Tanya quickly poofed a side satchel bag into existence, carefully slid the crown inside, and threw it on; making sure the strap was secure.  _ Now if I'm not mistaken, it takes roughly six minutes to travel from the Sheriff's department to the Castle on Aero-cycle; seven if the weird little rhino guy gets into trouble while on the way. If my calculations are correct, and they are, they should be arriving any seco- _

The loud  _ thunk  _ of the wooden front doors slamming open startled Tanya out of her thoughts. 

" _ YOUR MAJESTY! _ Are you alright?!" A gruff voice echoed downstairs from the front hall, one that she recognized immediately.

_ For once I wish I wasn't right.  _ She thought to herself with a sigh, before dashing out of the secret room; heading towards the king's bedroom.  _ He has a balcony over viewing the courtyard that I could escape from. If I go quickly, I  _ might  _ make it in time before the morons arrive! _

Slamming the doors to the king's quarters open, Tanya sprinted across the large room, jumping over ottomans and a table, before sliding out through the glass entrance to the balcony. The chill of the autumn afternoon bit into her fur, but she paid it no mind; her attention balanced between finding the best place to jump, and the sounds of footsteps just down the hall where she was. 

Her back throbbed, and the heavy crown in her bag only worsened the pain.  _ I wouldn't be able to 'duck' out in this state, not with my foggy brain and messed up back. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can jump into that pond down there? But who knows how deep it is, it's not worth the risk! Oh, I could turn into something small and hide in plain sight! But... Mao Mao knows me too well, he'll find me eventually. Oh, think Tanya, think! You  _ can't  _ let him catch you, not right now! Not when you're- _

"Tanya! Stay where you are!"

The sound of his sword being unsheathed was all too familiar at this point, but never before had it sounded so  _ dangerous. _

_ Fuck. _

* * *

Mao Mao pointed his sword at the Tanuki's back, his eyes slit in concentration; watching her every move. She had frozen at the sound of his voice, one paw laid on the balcony's marble railing, with her other wrapped around her stomach. She was panting, which was… weird.  _ Tanya never gets tired, which is what makes her so frustrating. It must be an act to get pity! _

Her tail flicked back in forth in an agitated matter, his grip on his sword tightening. Her arm slowly lowered from her stomach, and suddenly, he was staring into her turquoise eyes. 

" _ Hello Mittens~"  _ Tanya smirked smugly, suddenly looking much more like herself. Mao Mao forced his frown to stay straight, and he raised his sword to eye length once more.

"What a coincidence it is run into you here." She continued sarcastically, leaning back against the balcony railing. 

"It really isn't," Badgerclops added from behind Mao, causing the cat to glance back at his friend. _I didn’t even notice Adorabat and him show up._ _I guess they've already finished up with the King._

“How long has it been anyway? A couple weeks? A month?”

“It’s been forty-eight days, twenty-nine minutes, and six seconds since you last terrorized us.” Mao Mao snarked, turning back to face her.

“Oh, I’m honored you counted our time apart, Mittens~”

Mao Mao, flustered, cleared his throat. “O-of course, that was just a rough estimate. That’d be really creepy if I kept note of it on a calendar or something, right? And to be clear, I don't do that! Because our relationship is purely professional and I should probably start over... ”

“That would probably be for the best.” Tanya smirked patiently.

"You've gone too far this time, Tanya." Mao Mao hissed, continuing as if the last thirty seconds hadn't taken place. "Not only did you attempt to steal the King's crown, but tying him to his own throne? The guy is probably gonna need therapy now!"

"Oh, don't we all." She quipped. "Besides, I'm sure he needed therapy before all of this anyway. I mean, look at him."

He ignored her. "This is your only warning. Either return the crown now and come with us, or-"

"Or  _ what?  _ Hm?"

"We  _ dance."  _ He gritted his teeth menacingly and bent his knees; falling into his offensive stance.

"But not like the gross romance stuff. Like a fight to the death!" Adorabat added, showing off her fangs in a surprisingly terrifying grin.

"Yeah, I think she understood, Adorabat." Mao Mao frowned at the blue bat. "And we're not trying to kill her, either."

"Oh." The girl paused, before looking disappointingly at the ground. "Aww…"

"Now, return the crown to me at once, Tanya!" Mao Mao reached out with his right hand, his sword lowering slightly. 

"You do realize I'm not stealing it, right?" Tanya laid a hand protectively over the satchel.

"You, like, clearly are." Badgerclops huffed.

"If anything, I'm  _ returning  _ it to its rightful owner. In case you didn't know, before the Ruby Pure Heart cast its protective shield around the Pureheart Valley, they were famous for pillaging other Kingdoms." Tanya explained with a smirk. "Your King's  _ precious _ crown actually belongs to the Lokankey Kingdom, which they stole when they attempted to  _ burn _ down their castle five hundred years ago."

"...Wait, so you're just trying to give it back to the original Kingdom?" Mao Mao raised an eyebrow, and his hand faltered.  _ I guess  _ technically _ that isn't morally wrong. I mean, It's definitely not morally right, but-" _

"Oh God no. I'm stealing it and then  _ selling _ it back to them. And for a pretty penny too." 

"Yeah, that sounds a lot more…  _ Tanyaish _ ." Badgerclop snorted. "So I'm guessing you're not gonna give it back to us without a-"

"Fight? Brawl?" Tanya stepped forward, and Mao Mao's sword immediately flew up to point at her chest. " _ Dance?"  _ She winked at the black cat, and a blush immediately erupted upon his face. The Tanuki smirked knowingly at his reaction and stepped back. "Unfortunately not. Actually, I was hoping to do this without seeing you at all, but here we all."

Mao Mao guffawed, "Of course we're here! No crime happens in this Valley without Mao Mao knowing about it!" He grinned proudly for a few more seconds before her words began to sink in. "Wait… what do you mean you didn't want to see me?"

Tanya rolled her eyes at his hurt tone, and silently gestured to the satchel.

"Oh, right." Mao Mao shook his head to clear it, before falling back into offensive stance; Badgerclops and Adorabat following suite. "Give us the crown or-"

"Fight. Yes, I know. Unfortunately, I'm on a tight schedule so that won't work for me." Tanya stepped back until her tail pressed against the railing.

"Oh, well I'm sure we can reschedule if you'd like!" Adorabat smiled innocently.

"Adorabat, shh. Not now." Mao Mao glared at his apprentice, before turning back to the Tanuki. "Fight it is then!" 

Mao Mao rushed towards Tanya, sword ready, only to find his path suddenly blocked by three Tanuki clones. 

" _ Hello, Mittens _ ." They all repeated, causing Mao Mao to grit his teeth in annoyance. 

"Seriously, this again?!"

"Hey, if it works, it works." The clones laughed in unison. The cat growled in annoyance and swung his sword.

On the other side of the balcony, Badgerclops had his own group of Tanyas to deal with. Five of them circled him, all sharing the same smirk.

"Okay, so, if the real one is here, I'm warning you right now you're, like, about to die." Badgerclops aimed his mechanic arm and fired.

The scent of burning leaves made the  _ real  _ Tanya whimper from where she stood in the corner, surrounded by three of her duplicates; the scent of burnt vegetation worsening her headache even more. _ Shit, they're going through them a lot quicker than expected. I have to make my escape now! _

Turning back towards her escape path, Tanya began to pull herself onto the railing. Unfortunately for the Tanuki, a certain sweetypie had spotted her daring escape.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Adorabat yelled determinedly, swooping in to pull on the back of Tanya's green cape. The anti-hero yelped in surprise at the sudden feeling of being pulled away from freedom, especially since she wasn't expecting it, and stumbled back onto the balcony. Avoiding Adorabat's aerial attacks, Tanya quickly scanned the area for a plan.  _ In front of the door to the King's quarters is a group of clones. If I can just manage to hide among them… _

"You can run but you can't hide!" The bat hissed, once again dive-bombing the Tanuki.

"I beg to differ!" She replied, before skillfully skidding into the group; successfully managing to hide among herself.

"Nice work, Adorabat." Mao Mao nodded in approval, destroying the last of his Tanya clones; his sword now lowered. "We've got her cornered."

"Dude, you can't get out of this so just come out!" Badgerclops huffed, glaring at the six Tanya clones, "C'mon I'm missing my show, let's hurry it up…"

None of them answered.  _ As expected.  _ Mao Mao frowned.  _ Classic Tanya Keys. _

"Hmm… Why don't we use one of my smoke bombs to draw her out?" Adorabat asked, pulling one of her bombs seemingly out of nowhere. "The clones don't need to breathe, right? So we should be able to tell the difference." Mao Mao hesitated, before grabbing the bomb with a nod.

"Great idea Adorabat! This should work nicely." The black cat turned back to face the group of five clones. "This is your last chance to-"

"Wait." Badgerclops placed his arm in front of Mao Mao, much to his confusion.

"What is it?"

"... wasn't there six before?" 

The trio was silent for a few moments as dread began to sink into their fur.

"...I can't count past ten." Adorabat admitted quietly.

"Six is less than ten, so you shouldn't have a problem, dear." Tanya quipped from behind them.

The trio jumped and quickly turned to face the Tanuki. She once again stood in front of the balcony railing, clearly about to make her escape. 

Before the anti-hero could make her finale sarcastic joke, Badgerclops gritted his teeth and snatched the smoke bomb from Mao Mao. " _ This is for making me miss my show!" _

In less than three seconds, the badger had managed to light the bomb and chuck it, much to the surprise of Tanya and Mao Mao, and to the delight of Adorabat.

Tanya didn't even have a chance to save herself before the bomb exploded at her feet; a fat cloud of grey smoke immediately covering more than half of the balcony, including Tanya. Mao Mao, Badgerclops, and Adorabat all coughed at the abundance of smoke.

"You could have given us a warning!" Mao Mao groaned into his arm, his eyes watering from the pain.

"Sorry man, heat of the moment, y'know?"

"Is Miss Tanya gonna be okay?" Adorabat asked, gazing into the cloud; unable to spot the anti-hero.

"She better be." Mao Mao glared at Badgerclops while swatting the smoke away, before blushing as his words sunk in. "I-I mean because she has to answer for her crimes. Not because I'm in love with her or anything. That would be like, super weird…"

"Uh-huh… Yeah, okay man. Whatever." Badgerclops rolled his eye.

The sound of heavy coughs brought them back from their conversation, as the smoke began to clear. Tanya looked as if she was taking a knee on the railing; balancing precariously on the edge. Her voice was hoarse as she coughed, and tears ran down her cheeks. The satchel was dangerously close to falling from her shoulder to the ground thirty feet below. 

"Don't move!" Mao Mao ordered and began to make his way over to the railing. Before he could reach her, the Tanuki raised her hand to stop him; causing her to totter on the railing.

"N-no, p-please don't-" Her sentence trailed off into more coughs. 

Mao Mao froze at the tone of her voice.  _ I've never heard her sound so… weak before. I understand being hurt from the smoke, but this seems different…  _ "This isn't your decision to make."

Tanya swayed weakly where she kneeled, "Y-you don't understand. If you t-take me in, it will ruin your…" She squeezed her eyes shut as her words trailed off, and she gritting her teeth in pain. 

_ This is my best chance of grabbing her while she's weak. As long as I'm careful- _

" _ PUT YOUR HANDS UP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" _ Adorabat suddenly screamed, causing both Mao Mao and Tanya to jump to alert. The Tanuki shook her head to clear it, before grimacing, as if she had just realized how weak she sounded; turning to glare at the black cat in front of her, her eyes clouded with pain.

"Mao Mao! Watch out!" Adorabat yelped.

Before Mao Mao could reply, something tugged harshly on his cape.  _ Oh, it better not be another clone! _ Pulling himself away from the clone's grip, the black cat twirled around to face his foe.

"Oh,  _ what the heck is that?!"  _ Badgerclops gasped.

_ It's like looking into a funhouse mirror!  _ The clone was clearly a copy of himself, but it was… wrong. Clone Mao's face was awfully asymmetrical, and his cloak hung off him like a skeleton; his sword looking more like a glowing pool noodle than his famous Geraldine. Alongside these glitches, the illusion was slightly transparent, and if he squinted hard enough, Mao could see a leaf hovering in midair where the clone stood. _ Her... powers aren't working? _

" _ hellllooo mitteeeens…."  _ The clone hissed, and never in his life had Mao Mao heard his own voice sound so  _ broken _ .

Mao Mao grimaced, and weakly poked the monster with the tip of his sword, causing it to poofed away; leaving a wilted looking leaf in its steps.  _ That was way too easy… _ Confused, the cat turned back to face Tanya.

"What was the meaning of-" His voice trailed off at the sight of the Tanuki now  _ standing _ on the railing.  _ One step back and she'll fall!  _ Tanya's usually sharp and clever eyes were fuzzy and unfocused, and she looked as if she was physically unable to meet his gaze.

"Uh, dude-" Badgerclops started. 

" _ I won’t let you take me…”  _ Tanya mumbled, her eyes beginning to roll to the back of her head, and a small genuine smile fell upon her features as unconsciousness began to pull at her mind. “ _ I at least owe you that much.” _

And with that, she collapsed; falling to the courtyard thirty feet below.

"TANYA!"

"THE CROWN!" Badgerclops cried.

"MAO MAO!" Adorabat screamed, but it was too late; he had jumped after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 should be done soon, so keep your eyes open for it!
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave a kudos and a comment! They really help and push me to continue these fics ^^


	2. Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hm, well, it'll work for now." Mao Mao decided, giving up on fixing the helmet, before sliding onto the bike; his headwear activating.
> 
> "Where am I even supposed to sit? There's barely any room."
> 
> "Badgerclops, Adorabat, and I ride on the Aero-Cycle all the time. If he can make it work, you definitely can." Mao Mao said, not believing her excuse. "Not to mention we all fit on the way here."
> 
> "How did that work anyway?" Tanya frowned. "I think I would remember if I had to ride on this hunk of junk" 
> 
> "Oh, you rode Mao Mao of course!" Adorabat answered for the cat, much to his horror. "It was quite simple actually."
> 
> Immediately Mao Mao's cheeks flushed red and he snapped his gaze back to the Tanuki. "W-what she means is that you sat in front of me so I could keep an eye on you! You didn’t ride me per se, that would be... weird.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, remember when I posted chapter one on November 13th and said chapter 2 was close to being done?
> 
> ...oops?
> 
> In my defense I had some pretty bad writer’s block as well as my school work was getting crazy before Christmas break (as well as one other reason but its kinda spoilery for the chapter you’re about to ready so Ill leave it at the final notes.)
> 
> I also want to add even though it took a little more time than I thought to get the chapter out, there were some people in the comments that were getting pretty impatient and rude. Please know that I'm a busy student who is writing this for fun and for free! If I wanted to be sent passive-aggressive comments about "Where is the next chapter? It should be out now!" I would have asked for said passive-aggressive comments ^^
> 
> I'd suggest in the future instead of being rude, give a nice review! Saying just a couple sentences about how you liked the story and are excited about the next chapter will guarantee you get the next chapter sooner than later (at least that's the case with me lol.) Honestly, when I saw the rude ones it made me not want to work on it lol.
> 
> Anyway, that's just some advice from moi. Also please don't attack anybody because of this! It's not important enough to worry about it for too long and if you did this please don’t worry about it. It’s already forgotten! ^^ Just be a little more considerate next time!
> 
> Oh also totally random but someone wanted to know my pronouns (honestly can't remember if it was a review on fanfiction or a comment on ao3) but I'm fine with anything. Honestly don't really care what pronouns you use, or you can just call me Floop.
> 
> God sorry that was long. Let’s just get on with the story!

If it wasn't for the adrenaline pumping through his body, Mao Mao was sure he would have gone into shock as he landed in the freezing waters. In the short time he was falling, he had thought they were lucky they would land in the King's heart-shaped pond instead of the cobblestone ground; now the cat wasn't too sure.

Not only was the water cold enough to make a polar bear shiver, but to make matters worse, the pond was _ much _ deeper than he had been anticipating. Of course, he wanted it to be deep enough so both Tanya and he could get out without broken legs, but this was much more than he would have guessed. _ Of course, the King would be this over the top. You're making a pond, not a tunnel to the center of the world! _

After a few moments of collecting his bearings as he sunk deeper and deeper into the water, alongside dealing with a decent amount of panic; Mao Mao began to swim to the blurry figure a few feet below. 

_ I'm coming, Tanya! _

* * *

"Oh God oh God, please don't be dead, _ please _ don't be dead!" Badgerclops repeated as he activated his propeller arm and lowered himself to the courtyard below. Adorabat had already zoomed off to the pond, where a splashing sound had originated; before he had even realized what had happened. _ I knew this whole 'hero' business was gonna get him killed one day! You can only be so stupidly reckless for so long before it catches up to you. _

"MAO MAO! Are you okay?!" 

The sound of Adorabat's worried cry made Badgerclops awaken from his pessimistic thoughts; and as soon as his paws touched the cobblestone, the badger collapsed the propeller and quickly made his way to his friend's side at the edge of the pond._ Oh, thank God he's not splatted like a pancake! _

Mao Mao's fur was flattened against his form, making himself look even smaller in his soaked red garments. He was violently shaking, and his teeth clattered from the shivers raking through his body. His eyes were focused on Tanya however, who he had pulled out of the pond alongside himself. She was still unconscious, with her eyes slightly opened; the tiny bit of turquoise popped out against the dark fur around her eyes.

"I-I-I'm fine Adorabat." Mao Mao answered shakily, before scoffing. "Actually I-I-I'm great because I just caught the I-I-Infamous _ Tanya Keys!" _

_...are you serious? _That's _what's on his mind right now?! _The badger fumed silently to himself, his panic replaced with anger now that he knew his friend was alright. "Yeah, but like, she's kinda unconscious so it doesn't really count." Badgerclops shook his head with an irritable huff. "And that's not what we should be focused on anyway. You just landed in a freezing _puddle_ of water after jumping off a thirty-foot ledge! You clearly have hypothermia-"

"You're seeing things-"

"-not only did you just endanger your life on a whim, but you also didn't even give us a warning! Not even a little, _ hey I'm gonna go save my girlfriend real quick. If I die, I want a spring funeral _ sort of thing! Not cool man!"

Mao Mao rolled his eyes, and he mumbled something along the lines of _ she's not my girlfriend _ under his breath; his arms wrapped around himself as his teeth chattered.

Badgerclops gritted his teeth in frustration. "Seriously?! You're not gonna even apologize?!"

"Uh, _ Mao Mao- _" Adorabat started.

"The only person I-I owe an apology to The K-K-King, for having such a useless deputy sheriff! If _ you _ w-weren't diddley dallying back at headquarters, w-w-we probably would have made here before T-T-Tanya even managed to get the crown in the f-first place. We could h-have avoided this whole mess!"

"_ Badgerclops- _"

"Oh, I see how it is. You don't even see me as your _ best _ friend. I'm just some stupid lumbering jackass who always ruins your _ brilliant _ plans and your _ perfect _ adventures." The cyborg clenched his fists.

"_ Guys _!"

"Uh, yeah, you b-basically summed it up-"

"_ GUYS!!!" _Adorabat screeched, flying up in between their startled faces.

"_ God _, what do you want Adorabat?!" Badgerclops exclaimed, his anger redirected at the young bat. She huffed and gestured to the Tanuki who was laying on the ground in front of him. 

"I think she's dying."

"...Wait, _ what?!" _They both exclaimed, and the pair immediately knelt beside her, examining the Tanuki carefully; the argument tucked away for later

She was partially awake, with her eyes shut tightly and her teeth gritted together from the cold. Tanya hadn't made any attempt to stand yet, and had only curled in on herself to try to conserve heat; her muzzle buried in her long dripping tail.

"I think s-she's in shock." Mao Mao muttered, his gloved paw resting on her forehead. "We h-h-have to get her to an h-hospital."

"Why can't we just take her home and warm her up?" Badgerclops frowned. "Or to the clinic in town?"

The cat rolled his eyes. "We b-both know the clinic can only handle boo-boos and b-b-brain freezes, Badgerclops. And even t-though I _ am _certified as a first aid attendant, I would feel more comfortable t-t-taking her to professionals. I-It will give her the best chance of survival."

"Survival? Dude that seems a bit overkill. She's gonna be fine. I mean, this is _ Tanya Keys _ were talking about. Just fill her up with some cocoa and call it a day" The badger retorted, standing up. "Besides, the hospital is almost an hour on Aero-cycle away. I doubt you'd be able to stand the cold that comes with flying for that long, nonetheless _ her _."

"_ I'll _ w-worry about that. You'll stay h-here and keep an eye on things while A-A-Adorabat and I take Tanya to the hospital. C-check in with the K-King, clean up this mess, and-" Mao Mao suppressed a large shiver. "-Set u-up the jail cell in HQ for her. Blankets, p-pillows, the works. Okay? I h-have a feeling s-she won't be well enough to t-t-travel by herself for a while."

"...Fine, but make sure they check you out as well when you get there. You're kinda... not looking so good."

Mao Mao huffed, before shaking out his fur; flinging droplets of freezing water around the garden. His fur was suddenly much puffier, but still soaked through; with his whiskers even sporting frost at the ends. "I'm o-o-okay, Badgerclops. It's T-Tanya we have to worry about."

Wise enough to not argue with the cat, the badger sighed; lifting his mechanical arm, and pointing it at his friend, who had turned away to look at Tanya once more. “Catch.”

“Huh?” Before Mao Mao could turn his attention away from her form, his reflexes slowed thanks to his chilled state, a wad of red fabric smacked him in the back of the head; ejected from Badgerclops' arm. “_ Oof!” _

“Oh shit, sorry sorry!” Badgerclops winced and jogged over; picking up the bundle of fabric from the damp cobblestone. “I had an extra cape in my arm since you always seem to ruin yours doing stupid stuff. Figured you’d probably want it instead of that wet one. Especially if you’re going to be flying.”

Mao Mao swiped it out of his claws, and quickly threw it on; his old drenched one thrust back into the badger’s hands. “T-t-thank you Badgerclops, although when you g-get home, please deposit two quarters i-i-into the swear jar.”

"What, two?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why two?"

"You c-called yourself a jack… _ something _ when w-w-we were arguing." Mao Mao adjusted his cape properly into place, "Don't t-think I forgot about that!"

Badgerclops rolled his eye with a huff. "Fine, whatever. Just make sure you don't freeze to death." He paused in thought. "Her too."

"Ha! Don't w-w-worry about us. We'll be b-back before you know i-it." Mao Mao grinned, before turning back to Tanya. Quickly, he whistled with his fingers to call the Aero-cycle over; they had left it in front of the entrance so it didn't take long for it to pull up beside the group. Once his bike had arrived, the cat bent down beside the tanuki's form, his eyes taking her in; before gently sliding his arms under her legs and shoulders. She groaned softly at the movement but kept relatively still. With a grunt, Mao Mao slowly stood up with her in his arms and made his way to the Aero-cycle.

"Adorabat?" Badgerclops whispered, stopping the young girl, who was following Mao Mao to the bike, in her tracks. She turned to face him, clearly confused. "I want you to keep an eye on him."

"...Why? He said he was gonna be fine." 

He frowned. "Dude c'mon, this is Mao Mao. If he wasn't fine he'd most likely say-"

"-he was?" She interjected.

"Exactly. Just… make sure he doesn't die."

Adorabat glanced over at her mentor, before turning back to Badgerclops with a nod and a ready grin. "I won't let you down!"

"_ Adorabat! _L-let's get moving!" Mao Mao yelled from where he was on the bike; unaware of the conversation they had.

"Coming!' She winked at Badgerclops, before zipping over to rest on the seat behind the feline. 

"Uh, you sure she isn't gonna fall off?" Badgerclops walked over, eyebrow raised; his gaze falling to Tanya. He had positioned the tanuki so she was curled up on her side while laying on his lap; with her back to the handlebars and her cold nose just barely brushing against his belly fur. 

Mao Mao chortled, one hand on her side to keep Tanya tight against himself, and the other on the bike's handles. "It's o-only for an hour. We'll be fine."

"Yeah! And if she falls, I'll catch her!" Adorabat added.

"But that w-w-won't happen." The cat assured. "W-we should be b-back by tomorrow morning. Take care of the King and p-prepare the cell for T-T-Tanya by then. Keep an eye on the monster alarm too."

"Yeah yeah, just get going before you freeze to death man." 

With that, Mao Mao and Adorabat activated their helmets and he turned on the bike; the engine rumbling to life. 

"Oh, forgot to mention, I think the crown sunk to the bottom of the pond. So you're gonna have to fish that out." Mao Mao shrugged nonchalantly, "Anyway, see you later."

And with that, the Aero-cycle zoomed off into the darkening sky.

"...This is what I get for being a supportive friend." Badgerclops sighed in annoyance, before turning to the pond; his cyborg arm now a metallic fishing pole. "Figures."

* * *

Tanya Keys wasn't sure what had awoken her first; the incessant beeping of some type of machine, or the ache that seemed to affect every inch of her body. Either way, it wasn't pleasant.

She groaned in pain as she gently blinked open her eyes, before immediately shutting them tight to escape the blinding light of the hospital room.

_ Wait… hospital room!? _ Forgetting her throbbing limbs momentarily, the Tanuki bolted up in her bed; the beeping quickened drastically in time with her panicked racing heart. _ Where am I!? What happened?! _

With that thought, the memories came flooding back. Attempting to steal the crown, the confrontation with Mao Mao and his friends, getting smacked in the face with the smoke bomb. Everything after however was somewhat fuzzy to her. _I fell, I think? I remember being cold. Really _really_ cold, and then there was warmth and a lot of wind._

Her eyes roamed the room as if there were clues to give her an answer. It was rather clear she was in a hospital room, thanks to the abundance of first aid equipment and bleak decoration. The light that was bothering her before was coming from the ugly fluorescent lights above her, which made the white walls even brighter and lonelier.

To her right was the source of the beeping, which was a machine monitoring her heart rate. Beside it was an IV on a stand, which was around her height. A small plastic tube led out of the bag before eventually making its way to her hand; the end of which was hidden under a slice of medical tape under her knuckles.

Careful to not get her thin hospital blanket caught on the tubing, Tanya hesitantly kicked the fabric to the end of the bed, preparing to see an arrangement of injuries. They had removed her green cape and replaced it with a typical hospital gown. Other than that she didn't seem to be suffering from any physical ailments; no bandages, no bruises, and certainly no casts. _ Why am I here then? _

Suddenly, a feeling as if she had stepped on a live wire rocketed it up her spine and implanted itself into her already pounding head. _ What if this is about something I _ can't _ see _ . Instinctively, her paws fell to her stomach; no bump in sight, which would likely change sooner or later. _ That is if you're okay. _ That single thought was enough to bring an array of feelings crashing into her skull. 

_ Why am I such an idiot?! What was I thinking to do a heist like that just after I found out about- _ She let her thoughts trail off as she clenched her fists in anger, a snarl making its way up her face. _ Especially when said heist is in the heart of Mao Mao's domain! The last thing I want is to even give him a chance to figure out what's wrong with me, yet I still decided to saunter up to _ his _ King and give him a thief's version of a middle finger. Stupid! _

She brought her knees up to her chest and tucked her tail around herself, her muzzle burying itself into her legs. _ And now I've been caught! God, if he hasn't found out about them now he's definitely going to soon! Not like it will matter though if I assume that as soon as I'm released from the hospital I'll be thrown into prison. _

Muttering a soft curse about _ stupid _ emotions, Tanya blinked away the traces of tears in her eyes; one hand still laying softly on her stomach. _ I guess I can write off all my sappy feelings as your fault, right Lil one? _ She sighed, her fingers digging into her fur. _ Even if you are alive, does it matter? Once you're here in my arms I'll be carted away to jail before I can ever be a real mother; which is something I never thought I'd want until I saw that little plus mark… _

Letting go of her knees, Tanya flopped back against her pillows; her eyes once again rising to glare at the fluorescent lights. _ I bet any moment now a squadron of officers will escort me to my cell. Maybe it will be Mao Mao himself _ . She snorted. _ God, that'd be ironic. _

Throwing her legs off the side of the bed, the Tanuki grabbed the metal IV stand and stood. Surprised to find that she could walk rather well, she made her way to the small window on the right side of the wall, wheeling the stand beside her so she could keep balance. 

Under the moonlight, it was quite difficult to see exactly where she was, but Tanya guessed she was on the third or fourth story of the building. _ I can only think of a couple of hospitals near Pure Heart Valley that are of this size. All of which are close to Callamoch Penitentiary. _

Instinctively her fingers began combing the window frame, looking for an unlocking mechanism of any kind. On the side of the frame was a small crank, previously hidden by one of the drab curtains the window had. She pushed the fabric out of the way and cranked the handle; the window's corner creaked open slightly, allowing only a few inches of freedom to the Tanuki. She frowned. Tanya tried to push the window open to no avail; this was the farthest it would open.

_ Dammit! There's no way I could fit through that, and even if I could, how would I even climb down the side of the building? _ She sighed. _ My memories are fuzzy, but I still recall my powers acting a little...odd at the castle. I don't want to risk ducking out if I won't be able to hold my form long enough to get to the ground. _

Tanya leaned her forehead against the cool glass, and closed her eyes; officially given up.

"It's beautiful out tonight, don't you agree?"

Tanya jumped at the mysterious voice, and quickly spun around to meet their gaze; her tail lashing nervously.

It was a skunk of short stature, clearly a doctor of some type thanks to the white coat she was wearing. She carried a clipboard close to her chest, and Tanya couldn't help but notice her brightly painted nails. The doctor closed the door behind herself, before gesturing to Tanya to sit. When she didn't, the skunk's smile shrunk.

"It's alright, I won't bite! It's nice to meet you..." The doctor glanced down at the clipboard, clearly looking for her name.

"Tanya Keys." The Tanuki answered for her.

"Right! Tanya, it's nice to meet you! My name is Dr. Smel. I'm sorry I spooked you, I didn't mean to." Her smile returned full force, and she pointed to the bed once more. "Please sit, I just have to conduct my final assessment before we release you."

"Release me where?"

Dr. Smel couldn't help but frown. "Uh...What do you mean?"

"What prison am I going to?"

"Prison?" She raised an eyebrow and lowered her gaze once again to her notes. "Says here you were admitted by your friend for Hypothermia. Nothing here points towards you going to Prison? Unless you know something I don't! Haha." The doctor chuckled. 

"...My friend?" _ Wait… is she talking about Mao Mao? He didn't tell them I broke the law? _

"Yes, I believe his name was… Mao Mao Mao? He said he was your friend anyway." She smiled. "He was admitted at around the same time you were. He also had a moderate case of Hypothermia."

"Hypothermia?"

"Yes and I'll tell you about it, but first, please sit." Dr. Smel brought a chair, that was most likely meant for visitors, out from a desolate corner; dragging it over to the side of the bed. Tanya hesitated, before walking over with her IV stand, pulling herself onto the wrinkled blankets; her legs hanging off the edge. The doctor sat down in front of her.

"You were brought in at six pm with symptoms of Hypothermia and shock. We were planning on treating you with Sitaflex, a type of pain medication that would help with calming you down, but just in time we discovered you were-"

"Pregnant?" Tanya finished the sentence for her, her voice surprisingly soft. 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, pregnant. I'm surprised you are aware. You're only eight weeks along, and when you were admitted your friend made no mention of it and we couldn't ask him about it afterward since he was busy being treated as well."

"I only found out about it a couple of days ago." She shrugged, clearly self-conscious. "I bought almost five at-home tests and had to use all of them before I believed it."

The Doctor smiled with a soft chuckle, before continuing. "Quickly we conducted some tests on the baby to see if it was alright-"

"Is it?!" Tanya suddenly leaned forward, eyes wide in fear.

"Yes, they are alright. Healthy as ever." Dr. Smel grinned, and Tanya let out a breath of relief. "Actually, one of the first things we did was an ultrasound and…"

The skunk flipped through some papers on her clipboard, before pulling out a photograph. "I convinced them to print a picture for you. It's rather early on so you can't see much, but I thought you may enjoy it nonetheless."

Tanya felt a shiver travel up her spine and her eyes widened in shock, "...Are you serious?"

"Yep! Of course, they are barely the size of a lentil at this point, considering you are a species with a naturally shorter stature, but they're growing remarkably fast!" The doctor grinned, and placed the picture in her paws, "Take a look for yourself." 

Hesitantly, her movements fueled by fear, Tanya looked down at the ultrasound. 

_ It… looks like a blob. _ She couldn't help but think, but that didn't stop her eyes from taking over every detail of the photo; even as her gaze grew blurrier and blurrier. 

Dr. Smel smiled softly and scooted her chair forward. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Tanya muttered, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "I'm just… not usually like this." She admitted with a weak sniffle.

"Ah well, you can blame hormones on that. They should be getting substantially worse in the next few weeks, alongside other pregnancy symptoms."

"Wonderful." Tanya snorted wetly, her eyes still locked on the photo. _ I swear I can make out little ears… _

The doctor smiled sympathetically, "I've already set up an appointment for you in twelve weeks to have your mandatory twenty-week ultrasound. As well as an Obstetrician here that you will be able to call whenever you need. When you are released go to the main desk and they will give you the contact information."

Tanya, clearly a bit overwhelmed, let out a soft breath with a nod. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome!" The doctor grinned, before looking back at her notes. "Now, about your… well, to put it bluntly, _ powers. _"

"What about them?"

"Your friend-" She squinted her eyes at the papers again-"Mao Mao alerted us that your abilities were seemingly 'broken.' Those were his words of course."

"It's foggy but remember when I summoned one of my leaves I felt… wrong." Tanya wrinkled her nose, clearly uncomfortable sharing this with the skunk, "Do you know what happened?"

"It's hard to say, unfortunately, someone with your skillset doesn't turn up often." Dr. Smel answered honestly. "We believe it's because of the pregnancy. Usually, fatigue is a very common symptom during the first trimester, and this is most likely connected to that. Your powers should grow stronger once again as the pregnancy continues, but you should still limit yourself. It could hurt the baby." 

Tanya sighed. _ No powers no bounty work, simple as that. How will I take care of myself? _

"Oh heavens, look at the time!" Dr. Smel's eyes widened her gaze on the analog clock on the wall. Immediately she stood up and stepped closer to the Tanuki. Tanya flinched back instinctively. "Let's do your final check-up quickly, then we'll check you out, alright?"

"Sounds like a fine idea to me." Tanya placed the ultrasound down on the bed beside her and sat up straight. Dr. Smel immediately brightened up and grabbed the sphygmomanometer from her bag nearby.

"Okay, let us start with your blood pressure."

* * *

By the time Tanya was wheeled out by a nurse, the sun was already rising. The Tanuki knew she could walk perfectly fine, but she decided not to argue with the Hospital's policies. The nurse, who was a magenta chimp, pushed her wheelchair chair to the outer main entrance of the building. 

"Will you be alright if I leave you here?" The nurse asked softly, and Tanya's chair came to a stop beside a couple of benches.

"This is fine." Tanya nodded before standing up; adjusting her wrinkled cape. "I don't have my wallet on me so-"

"Oh it's alright dear, it's against policy for you to give me a tip anyhow." The chimp smiled and Tanya nodded in understanding. "I hope you have a wonderful day." 

"You as well." 

With that, the nurse turned the now empty wheelchair chair around and headed back through the entrance to the hospital. Tanya's gaze followed her back into the building, and when she was sure she was gone, her hand once again fell to her cape. She pulled it in front of her, so it looked more like a bib than anything, and let her paws find the underside of the fabric. A sigh of relief left her; the secret sewed in pocket hadn't ripped in the fall. 

The folded ultrasound, which had the phone number to her new Obstetrician written on the back, was quickly squeezed into the pocket; now successfully hidden. She sighed in relief, making sure the picture was secure, before flipping her cape into its correct position. _ It's safest if it's on me at all times. _

"Can this thing go _ any _ slower!?" A gruff voice growled sarcastically, interrupting her thoughts. Tanya's ears immediately perked at the sound of Mao Mao, and she turned her gaze to seek the source. _ Guess there goes my chance to escape. _

Mao Mao was being wheeled out just like she did, this time however by a stern-looking blue giraffe. The cat's clothes were wrinkled, just like hers were, and he looked frustrated; his arms crossed over his chest with a pouty look on his face. The tanuki just managed to repress her giggles.

The giraffe, taking Mao Mao's sarcastic question as a challenge, slowed the wheelchair to a snail's pace. He groaned in annoyance and slumped down in the chair.

"My legs are fine! Better than fine even! I don't see why you have to do this." He grumbled.

The nurse rolled his eyes, "It's policy, _ sir." _

Mao Mao sighed with a shake of his head, before lifting his gaze from the ground; only to discover Tanya watching him with a raised eyebrow. Mao Mao's eyes widened and he immediately jumped out of the chair.

"Hey! You can't- ugh, whatever. I don't get paid enough for this." The giraffe grumbled, and quickly pushed the wheelchair back inside; leaving the pair alone.

"Tanya! It's lucky we were released at the same time." Mao Mao noted. "I was just about to go get yo-"

"If you're going to put handcuffs on me, Sheriff, you better do it now." She replied curtly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Mao Mao hesitated, "...You do realize there's no reason to attempt to escape, right? I got Badgerclops to drive your Aero-truck to our house while we were gone. You will have to return to the Sheriff's offices to retrieve it."

Tanya managed to hide a surprised expression that almost bubbled to her surface. _ It has all my supplies in it, as well as it's my only way around now that my leaves aren't working. If I don't have it, I won't have any way of making a living. _

"Adorabat and I are heading home anyway, I'll be happy to let you join us." Mao Mao smirked, knowing he had won. "Unless… You would like to take the two day walk back?"

Tanya's smirk in return wasn't as biting as it usually was; a facade. "...If you insist Mittens, I won't turn my nose at a free ride. Although I must admit now that you mention it, I am curious as to where the little blue one is."

"Adorabat?" Mao Mao turned back to face the Hospital's doors. "I believe she's in the gift shop-"

"I'M BACK WITH STUFF!"

  
  


Mao Mao jumped at the sudden screech in his ear and twirled around to face the young bat. "Adorabat! Perfect timing. We're heading out."

Adorabat's eyes immediately fell to Tanya, who was watching the exchange with a mixture of frustration and amusement written on her face. 

"What did you buy?" Tanya asked, glancing down at the plastic bag hanging from the bat's foot

"Candy mostly." Adorabat landed on Mao Mao's shoulder and adjusted the bag from her foot to her hands. The trio began walking to the Aero-Cycle. 

"That's a large bag just for some candy."

"Oh, well, I _ did _ get something else. But it's for when we get home!" She grinned cheerfully. 

"Hmm… I don't like the sound of that." Mao Mao warned.

"It's nothing weird!" Adorabat promised as they arrived where the bike was parked. She glided to the bike, before landing onto the seat; her helmet somehow already on. 

"You'll have to borrow Badgerclops.'" Mao Mao told Tanya, changing the subject. "It might be a bit big."

The tanuki raised an eyebrow. "Is it really necessary?"

Mao Mao frowned, "Of course it is! You're not getting on this bike without it."

She hesitated, before sighing in defeat, and ripping the helmet out of the cat's paws. Tanya slid it on, not surprised to find it much heavier than was comfortable; it laid lopsided on her head. 

"Haha! You're like Badgerclops 2.0!" Adorabat giggled.

Ignoring the bat, Mao Mao reached over and adjusted the helmet, only for it to fall back into the original lopsided position. Tanya looked unimpressed under her visor. 

"Hm, well, it'll work for now." Mao Mao decided, giving up on fixing the helmet, before sliding onto the bike; his headwear activating.

"Where am I even supposed to sit? There's barely any room."

"Badgerclops, Adorabat, and I ride on the Aero-Cycle all the time. If he can make it work, you definitely can." Mao Mao said, not believing her excuse. "Not to mention we all fit on the way here."

"How did that work anyway?" Tanya frowned. "I think I would remember if I had to ride on this hunk of junk" 

"Oh, you rode Mao Mao of course!" Adorabat answered for the cat, much to his horror. "It was quite simple actually."

Immediately Mao Mao's cheeks flushed red and he snapped his gaze back to the Tanuki. "W-what she means is that you sat in front of me so I could keep an eye on you! You didn’t _ ride _ me per se, that would be... weird.

Tanya paused, before letting out an amused chuckle; sauntering over to the side of the bike, and sliding on behind Mao Mao. "_ If you say so Mittens _." She teased in a sing-song tone.

Grumbling, his face still pink, Mao Mao turned back to the controls of the Aero-Cycle and turned it on; the engine rumbling to life. "Everyone ready?"

"Yep!" Adorabat confirmed, digging her little fingers into the Tanuki's shoulder, although Tanya didn't mind. 

Tanya copied Adorabat's actions and laid her hands loosely on the cat's arms He didn't seem to notice, only placing his gloved paws on the handlebars. 

"Alright then, here we go!"

Just like that, Mao Mao clutched the gas and the Aero-Cycle jumped into the sky; the parking lot shrinking below them.

Tanya was eighty percent sure her stomach was left behind as they climbed and climbed into the sky. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around Mao Mao's chest and pressed herself against him; her eyes shut tightly. The cat grunted at the sudden pressure of her grip but stayed silent; his blush hidden under the helmet.

Nausea quickly fell over the Tanuki, much to her displeasure. "_ Ugh, I hate Aero-Cycles!" _She muttered into her helmet.

"_ What are you talking about! They're great!" _ Adorabat suddenly answered into her ears. _ Oh, so the helmets act as radios. _

"_ At least Aero-trucks have seatbelts!" _Tanya grumbled back, a squeak escaping her throat as they hit a bit of turbulence. 

Mao Mao began to level off the cycle as they had reached the bike's cruising altitude. "_ Aero-Cycles are legendarily cool, I have no idea what you're talking about." _He replied.

_ "Wanna know what's also 'legendarily cool?' Not throwing up in my helmet!" _Tanya hissed back.

The only response she got was the cat's famous laugh. Tanya sighed, although she couldn't help but feel comforted by the familiar sound. She let her helmet lay against his back, and her grip on him loosened into a more comfortable touch. 

Unknowingly to Tanya, Mao Mao leaned back into her arms and sighed a breath of relief; they were gonna be okay. He would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! It took a lot of work to get it done. Another reason why the chapter was coming out so late was that I kept writing the beginning of the chapter super angsty. Like Tanya needs CPR to be awoken, or Badgerclops has to pull them both out of the pond. I still do like these ideas tbh but it didn’t leave me in a spot where I could convincingly write what I wanted to write at the end of the chapter. (I finished the first scene at the pond with the CPR idea so let me know if yall maybe want to see that as like non-canon bonus content lol. I had to get rid of it but honestly, it has some really good moments that I’m sad I had to cut.)
> 
> Another thing I want to say is that I practically bullshitted everything with the hypothermia. They would have gone through a lot more than a night in the hospital if they had severe hypothermia, but honestly, I don’t really care about being accurate so ehhhhh
> 
> OH AND THIS IS IMPORTANT: I just started a tumblr! You can go there to ask me questions about the fic, submit art, or whatever! I'll also be posting alot of art for TanyaMao on there as well! My username is floopaslopp 
> 
> ANYWAY! If you liked this chapter please leave a Kudos/Favorite/Follow and a Review/Comment. Reviews and stuff really inspired me a lot! Even jut happy keysmashes and rambles about the chapter help me focus and work on this stuff!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Drawing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TV was still blasting whatever show he had been watching before he had passed out. 
> 
> Mao Mao sighed and held the bridge of his muzzle in his hand judgingly. 
> 
> "Hm, he looks relaxed," Tanya smirked teasingly, leaning over the back of the couch; her nose daringly close to the badger's. As if he could sense her presence so close to his own, Badgerclops groaned and blinked his eye open; only for him to focus on the Tanuki hovering a few inches above him.
> 
> "Boo." She grinned teasingly. 
> 
> His eye widened and he let out a girlish shriek, bolting up off the couch and onto the floor, "WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?!" He yelled up at her from across the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back with a new chapter! I’m happy I managed to finish this one rather quickly compared to chapter 2 lol. 
> 
> Every chapter will begin with how far along Tanya is in her pregnancy. For example, in this chapter, she is eight weeks pregnant. Also, I know Tanukis don’t have a nine-month pregnancy but idk I felt like doing it this way lol.
> 
> Oh, I got a new Tumblr too! I answer questions about the fic, release extra/deleted content there, and post updates on how the writing progress is going. I suggest you check it out if you enjoy this fic or are feeling impatient for the new chapter. The username is Floopasloop!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

  
  


** Eight Weeks **

_ “We’ll be arriving soon.” _ Mao Mao’s voice came from the speakers inside of her helmet, much too loud for her taste.  _ “I warn you now Tanya, attempt to retain any secrets about the innards of the Sheriff's department-” _

_ “Yeah yeah, I know.”  _ Tanya rolled her eyes and leaned back away from Mao Mao; her gaze looking over the distinct shape of Pureheart Valley in the distance, as well as the Sheriff’s department which was getting closer every second,  _ “You do remember I have been in your house before, right? I’ve heard your whole threatening spiel already.” _

Mao Mao glanced back at her, his scrutinizing green eyes barely visible through his visor.  _ “What are you talking about?” _

_ “I believe it was...seven, maybe eight weeks ago?” _ She replied with a smirk. _ “I’m surprised you don’t remember. I mean, you are the one who counts the seconds between us apart~" _

_ “I don’t know what you’re-” _ Mao Mao froze mid-sentence and his eyes quickly swiveled back to the horizon; desperate not to make eye contact with her as he recalled what had taken place seven weeks ago.  _ “...Oh, right.” _

Tanya laughed at his clear embarrassment and even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he was blushing. 

_ “I don’t remember… that…” _ Adorabat muttered, her voice drowsy with sleep. Halfway through the flight, the tanuki began noticing the young girl nodding off on her shoulder. Worried for her safety, although she wouldn’t easily admit it, Tanya picked the bat up and held her gingerly in her arms for the remainder of the journey; alongside her gift bag.

_ “There’s nothing to remember Adorabat.” _ Mao Mao grumbled sternly.

_ "Hm, it's starting to sound like it's something you'd rather like to forget."  _ Tanya shrugged. _ "Oh well, I guess I'll have to be one to have fond memories."  _

Mao Mao looked back at her, and oh she was right _he is so blushing,_ _"What happened at the King's Galla was-" _

The familiar beeping of the Aero-Cycle pulled the cat out mid-sentence and he turned back to the controls. He sighed and pressed a button, before angling the bike down towards the side of the cliff underneath their home; they would be arriving at any moment. _ "We'll talk about this later." _

Tanya absentmindedly placed a hand on her stomach,  _ "Oh, I'm sure we will…" _

The bike passed through the waterfall that hid the garage entrance and Tanya cringed against the cool water that pelted her fur. Adorabat sat up in her arms, clearly awoken from the dousing. _ "Were home!" _

Before Tanya could roll her eyes at the bat, or ridicule the cat for not giving her a warning about the unplanned shower, the tanuki felt Mao Mao tense in front of her; before she could get  _ are you alrigh _ t out of her mouth, he had already answered her question.

_ "Gah!" _ The cat yelped and cranked the bike suddenly to the right. The Aero-Cycle made an angry noise at the jarring turn, but it made an even worse one as Mao Mao slammed on the breaks. The bike screeched to a halt; the tip of the nose only just poked the couch in the garage. Thanks to the very sudden loss of momentum, Tanya crashed into the back of Mao Mao; their helmets cracking against one another's. Adorabat was squeezed in between the two as well, but luckily since the Tanuki was holding onto her like a seatbelt, she didn't go flying like she would've. 

Tanya groaned and quickly threw off Badgerclops' helmet, clutching her head. "What the  _ hell  _ was that?!"

Panting, Mao Mao turned off the bike, before gesturing just to the left of them; his helmet coming off as well. "Badgerclops parked your Aero-truck in front of the entrance where the Aero-Cycle usually goes. Just managed to dodge it."

"That was awesome!" Adorabat grinned, although surprisingly her eyes were still a bit tired.  _ Guess not even a potential car accident could wake her up completely. Figures _

"You better not have hit my truck Sheriff," Tanya growled, ignoring the blue bat. She slid off the Aero-Cycle onto the shaky feet and walked over to her blessed truck; inspecting it for any scratch. 

Mao Mao rolled his eyes. "Ha! You underestimate my driving skills."

Tanya huffed but stayed silent. The truck looked fine if not a little clearer than she had last saw it… The Tanuki took a step away from the car and looked around the garage; noting the collection of technological parts, glass jars filled with God knows what, and an old and dusty looking couch.

"I'm guessing this is the Cyborg's area?"

"His name is Badgerclops, which you should know by now." Mao Mao hopped off the bike alongside Adorabat and reached out for the towel left on the workbench; using it to wipe off some of the water from the waterfall they had flown through. "And yes, this is his workstation. Speaking of which…"

Mao Mao passed the towel to Tanya, who gratefully used it to wipe off some of the water as well, and began to walk up the wooden stairs at the back of the room. "Badgerclops!" He yelled.

Tanya finished drying herself and hesitantly followed the cat up into the living room.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered as he reached the back of Sofia; their couch.

Badgerclops was sleeping, limbs sprawled in a way that took up most of the couch. With what room that wasn't used by the badger was filled with soda cans and empty bags of various snacks. There were crumbs on his face and Tanya could see, much to her disgust, pieces of food in his teeth thanks to the open mouth position he had. The TV was still blasting whatever show he had been watching before he had passed out. 

Mao Mao sighed and held the bridge of his muzzle in his hand judgingly. 

"Hm, he looks relaxed," Tanya smirked teasingly, leaning over the back of the couch; her nose daringly close to the badger's. As if he could sense her presence so close to his own, Badgerclops groaned and blinked his eye open; only for him to focus on the Tanuki hovering a few inches above him.

_ "Boo." _ She grinned teasingly. 

His eye widened and he let out a girlish shriek, bolting up off the couch and onto the floor,  _ "WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?!" _ He yelled up at her from across the living room. 

Mao Mao sighed, answering for the laughing Tanuki. "Badgerclops, don't you remember what we talked about on the phone like, two hours ago?"

"Of course I do, dude," He shook his head to clear it, sleep still pulling at his mind. "I just thought you were joking."

The cat groaned. "Well, I wasn't! And can we talk about the fact you almost  _ killed _ us with your parking job downstairs?!"

"What are you talking about man? You told me to park her truck in the garage!"

"Not right in front of the door!"

_ "Well, you should've told me that then!" _

_ "It's common sense!" _

Tanya watched the argument with a raised eyebrow. _ It's a marvel they're able to get anything done around here. _ Down at her feet, Adorabat was watching the display with tired eyes; as if she was far too used to the pair's disagreements to say something.

"Is this a regular thing," Tanya asked the young bat.

"You don't even know the beginning of it." Adorabat yawned, one wing wiping her tired eyes while the other held onto her bag. "I think I'm gonna go take a nap."

Tanya nodded in agreement.  _ The poor kid has been at the hospital all night. She deserves a soft bed at least. _ "Hey, officers! Your kid wants a nap."

Badgerclops and Mao Mao froze mid-argument, and turned towards the direction of her voice; they had forgotten she was there. 

"Oh, right." Mao Mao nodded and flattened the ruffled fur on his arms subconsciously. "C'mon Adorabat." He reached down for her wing and began to lead her towards the bedroom. "You too Tanya."

Tanya raised an eyebrow but followed anyway, leaving Badgerclops in the living room to clean up his mess. "...Is there any reason why you're leading me into your bedroom?"

"I want to keep an eye on you." He answered honestly.

"Mittens, if I wanted to steal something I already would've done it." She snorted. Mao Mao glared at her but continued on into the room. Adorabat yawned and placed the gift bag she dragging along on the floor beside the bunk bed before flying up to the middle bunk.

"Miss Tanya? I got something for you." She sat on the covers. "It's in the bag."

"Really?" Both Mao Mao and Tanya asked at the same time, both surprised. Adorabat giggled in amusement and nodded.

Tanya hesitated, before shrugging with a sigh; kneeling beside the bag while peering into it. Underneath the multiple bags of candy was a-

"Sweater?" She questioned, glancing up at the sleepy bat, before reaching into the bag and pulling it out. The first impression Tanya got was how damn _ soft _ it was, alongside the beautiful olive green color it was dyed. She ran her paw over the fabric, sighing a soft breath of comfort. "What's the… deal with this?"

"I... don't… want you to get cold again." The bat mumbled, clearly on the edge of sleep. 

The feeling of tears choking up her throat, which was all too familiar to her nowadays, passed over Tanya. She gave her a shaky smile. "Thank you."

Mao Mao walked over to the side of her bed and put his arm out, letting the small bat grab onto him. Standing on his tippy toes he reached up to the bottom of the top bunk; Adorabat instinctively grabbed onto the wood and he pulled away, leaving her hanging upside down above her bed.

"Sleep well Adorabat."

Adorabat muttered an unintelligible sentence before quickly dozing off. Mao Mao gestured for Tanya to follow him and the pair carefully left the room; shutting the door behind them. After a few moments of silence as they walked back to the living room, Tanya smiled to herself. "You are good with her."

"Adorabat has had… a rough past. It's the least Badgerclops and I can do."

Tanya nodded in understanding, clutching the sweater in her arms for comfort. "...you would be a good father."

Mao Mao hesitated, frowned and turned towards her, pausing misstep. "Are you alright?"

_ Shit, did I step over a line? _ "What do you mean?"

"I've known you since we were seventeen, Tanya. I know when something is wrong, and I know  _ you _ know something is wrong. Just tell me and get it over with."

Tanya scoffed. "I'm still not-"

"At the castle, you said  _ 'don't take me in, it will ruin your _ … and you stopped." Mao Mao huffed. "What were you going to say?'

"That it... would ruin your day is all." She lied through her teeth. "You know how these things always work. It would take up the rest of your day booking me in. I'd hate to ruin any plans you had, Mittens."

Mao Mao squinted at her, silent for a few moments as her words hung in the air between them. "...Okay, so you want to do this the hard way." The cat turned on his heel and walked into the living room. "Badgerclops!"

"Ugh, dude no need to yell. I'm right here…" the badger muttered, on his hands and knees picking up some trash off the floor. 

Tanya's frowned tightened and she followed the Sheriff into the room, her claws digging into the fabric of the sweater she carried. "What do you mean the hard way?"

Mao Mao ignored her. "Badgerclops, we will be going through with what we had talked about on the phone. I hope you set the cell up."

"Of course I did." The badger stood, brushing off his fur of any dust or crumbs.

_ Wait... cell?! _ Tanya's eyes widened. "What are you two talking about? What do you mean  _ cell _ ?" She hissed questioningly, her tone laced with fear and anger.

Mao Mao finally turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "Until you tell us what ailment is bothering you, or show proof you are well enough to run off and do whatever it is that you do, you will not be able to leave our care."

_ Fuck. _ "Wait…so your plan to support in my time of need, which doesn’t even make sense because I’m  _ totally fine _ , is to keep me as your prisoner? In a jail cell?!" 

"Well, that's actually because we don't have any spare bedrooms and the cot in there is surprisingly comfortable," Badgerclops added.

"And also I don't trust that you won't try to escape when we're not around." Mao Mao hesitated. "But you aren't our prisoner. More like a-"

"Guest?" Tanya hissed the word sarcastically.

Mao Mao nodded. "Exactly, guest!"

She shook her head in disbelief.  _ This can't be fucking happening. _ "You do realize I can just t-turn into an ant and slip under the bars, right?"

"Dude, we know your powers aren't working," Badgerclops said bluntly. "We all saw what happened at the Castle."

"If they did work I doubt you would have accepted the ride here." Mao Mao added. "Not to mention what the Doctor told me-"

Tanya's eyes widened and she froze.  _ Dr. Smel couldn’t have told them about the child, not after I asked her to keep it confidential...right? _ "...what did she tell you?"

Mao Mao frowned at her expression. "She couldn't tell me much because apparently it was 'private business' but basically she summed it up as your powers are broken and will be for a while. She alluded it was a symptom of something, that of which is still what in trying to figure out..."

Tanya sighed a breath of relief.  _ He doesn't know.  _ "This can't be legal, you keeping me here."

"You literally just tried to steal the King's crown." Badgerclops rolled his eye.

"Think of this as your punishment." Mao Mao added. "Instead of me sending you to Callamoch Penitentiary, you'll live with us for a while. At least until you're better. After you’re back to your regular self, we'll let you go."

Tanya turned her back to the pair and bit her lip, instinctively gripping the sweater to her chest. _ Maybe this won't be so bad. At the beginning of my pregnancy, which is when the baby is in the most danger, I can stay here. I won't start showing for a couple of weeks now and when I do, I'll say that I feel better and they can let me go. This might work in my favor after all… _

"Let us help you, Tanya." Mao Mao took a step forward, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "We just want you to be okay."

"I could honestly care less." Badgerclops shrugged honestly. Mao Mao glared over his shoulder at him.

"...fine. I'll stay. Although I am not pleased about the situation, It seems you have given me no other choice..." She sighed after a moment of pause. 

Mao Mao let out a sigh of relief, all tension leaving his shoulders; clearly, he had planned this for a while. "C'mon, I will show you to your room."

_ “Cell..” _ She corrected, following the cat to the back of the living room; besides what she assumed was the cat's desk. Badgerclops knelt back down beside the couch and continued cleaning; one ear still clearly turned towards the TV.

"Huh, Badgerclops really wasn't kidding." Mao Mao muttered, his eyes falling to the open cell. Tanya followed his gaze, only for it to fall on the surprisingly comfortable looking cot. The bed was covered with at least five blankets, all of which were fluffy and warm looking. Soft pillows and plushies were thrown on top, making it look like a little kid's dream. On the floor of the cell was a space heater, already turned on and warming the small cement room. 

Tanya sighed. "It does look quite-"

** _"Save my bacon, I'm really in a jam!" _ **

Tanya jumped, her head swiveling as she searched for the source of the noise. "What in the world..."

** _"Save my bacon, I'm really in a jam!"_ ** It repeated. 

Mao Mao sighed. "It's the King's alarm. He must need something."

Badgerclops groaned. "But we were just there yesterday!"

"Yeah yeah." Mao Mao turned back to face Tanya. "I'll have to put you in the cell until we get back. Just in case."

"I get it." She rolled her eyes and stepped into the small room, turning around so she faced the cat as he shut the bars and locked the cell; throwing Adorabat’s gift onto the cot behind her as an afterthought. Tanya crossed her arms over her chest. "When should I be expecting you back?"

"Couple hours at least." The cat tucked the keys back into his red belt, turning his gaze upwards to meet her own. "When we get back we'll get lunch ready."

Tanya nodded silently, her eyes darting to Badgerclops' figure; he wasn't listening, too busy searching for the remote to turn off the TV. Immediately her demeanor changed; taking a step forward, her paws grasping the bars. "So this is why you didn't tell the hospital about my… criminal activity. You wanted me  _ all  _ to yourself…"

Mao Mao, noticing the change of tone of her voice, grimaced. "I'm doing what's right, Tanya. With the number of people you've put behind bars. Specifically  _ Callamoch Penitentiary _ bars, you'd be in great danger. Especially since you can't access your powers."

"I'm not entirely useless without my leaves y'know, Mittens." She huffed, resting her muzzle against one of the cool metal bars. "I could still give you and the rest of your lackeys a run for their money."

Mao Mao took a step even closer, his eyes slitted; their muzzles hovering next to each other. "I'm sure you could, but I know you won't."

"Ha! And why's that?"

"Because we're your ...  _ friends. _ " He admitted, his voice growing quiet. Tanya's frown softened and her paws dropped from the bars; the unspoken tension between them lightened as he took a step back; as if Mao Mao had realized how close they’d gotten. "Look, just think of this as us… having a sleepover. That’s something friends do, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "That's hard to imagine when I'm sleeping in a jail cell, Sheriff."

"I think Badgerclops did a great job fixing it up." Mao Mao smirked. "Looks homey."

"If you like it so much, why don't you sleep here and I'll take your bunk?"

"Nice try, Keys." He laughed and Tanya couldn't help but snicker too; she had always found his laughs infectious.

"Mao Mao! He's gonna be mad if we're late!" Badgerclops yelled from the living room; the familiar sound of someone sliding down the fireman pole to the garage echoed around the cell.

"Be right down!" Mao Mao yelled and turned back to the Tanuki. "Don't attempt to escape or you’ll smell trouble, okay?"

"Oh, I would  _ never _ dream of it, Mittens." She fluttered her eyelashes teasingly, before falling back onto the cot; her fall broken by the abundant amount of blankets and plushies. "It's far too toasty here to go outside in the cold. Hell, if I was so wonderfully  _ kind _ like you, I'd invite you inside alongside me!" Tanya winked sarcastically.

Mao Mao frowned, deciding to ignore her display. "...I'll see you in a few hours." And with that, the cat turned on his heel and stalked off into the living room; she could hear the fire pole in use once again, alongside the sound of the Aero-Cycle's engines turning on and speeding away. They were gone.

* * *

Tanya almost immediately broke her promise to the cat. Once she was sure the Aero-Cycle was gone long enough, the Tanuki dug her trusty lockpick out of her cape's secret pocket, her paw barely ghosting the ultrasound that was tucked inside as well; she had the cell unlocked in less than a minute.

Tanya let out a relaxed sigh and placed her hands on her hips, her gaze roaming the room.  _ A few hours to myself, eh? Might as well grab what I can, find my Aero-trucks blasted key, and get the hell out of here. _

It didn't take long for her to find the keys to her truck. A few seconds of her paw under the couch cushions did the trick and she tucked her keys into her cape pocket.  _ Hm, what's next… I suppose I can snoop for awhile. The last and only time I've been here was after the King’s Galla eight weeks back and I never really got a good look at the place… _ The reasoning for that even brought a blush to her cheeks, something that was rare in itself.

Tanya started towards the Sheriff's desk, her eyes roaming the piles of papers he had yet to look over.  _ That rhino guy sure gets arrested a lot. _ She thought to herself in amusement, looking over his file, which was at least three times the size of the others.

_ Hm, I thought he'd have more entertaining stuff in here.  _ She sighed, absentmindedly playing with the cord of a dusty black phone; she sat on the edge of the desk, now inspecting the green-eyed pointy-eared telephone.  _ It does seem quite conceited to have a phone that looks like yourself. _ She snorted, rolling her eyes.

Tanya hopped off the desk and made her way towards the kitchen. With a flick of a switch, the room was cast with light. Her eyes immediately fell to the bowl of fruit at the small dining table; stomach growling, she sauntered over and plucked an apple from the pile.

"I don't mind if I do!" She smirked to herself and took a bite, letting out a moan of satisfaction at the delicious taste. _ I didn't realize how hungry I was until I had something to eat.  _ Continuing to munch on the fruit, the Tanuki continued through the kitchen; looking over the surprisingly clean countertops and spotless sink.  _ Quite a difference from the living room… _

She made her way towards the fridge, swinging it open and taking a peek inside. It was barren, much to her shock, and she closed it once more.  _ Must have caught them on shopping day. _ Tanya's gaze focused on the now-closed door of the fridge, apple in mouth.

On the door was a couple of crude drawings and a calendar; all of the pictures were of nature, some of the places Tanya could even name out of the top of her head. Focusing on the bright art first, the Tanuki took a step closer and leaned down. 

One was a drawing of what seemed to be the trio themselves, their hands interconnected while they all had large grins on their faces. Tanya wasn't sure if it was her fluctuating hormones or if she was just going soft, but she couldn't help but smile at it. 

She turned her attention to the next drawing and she felt tears begin to prick her eyes; it was definitely her hormones that were causing this. It was a picture of what looked to be Adorabat dressed up in Mao Mao's cape, with even his trusty Geraldine in her grip. The cat in question stood beside her with a smile, proudly looking down at her. Or at least, that's was Tanya had interpreted as. 

_ He really would be a good father. _ She smiled.  _ No, he  _ is  _ a good father. _ The tanuki reached forward, the tip of her claw brushing against the paper of the drawing. Tanya looked at it longingly. _ I wonder if we could ever have something like this… drawings from our child displaying our love for them on the fridge alongside Adorabat's… could that ever be possible? _

"It isn't if you don't tell him." She mumbled to herself with a sigh, letting her arm fall back to her side. Her eyes once again lifted to look at the art, as if using it as a source of strength. _ It would be worth the trouble of telling him to get a life like this, where our child could be safe. Bounty hunting is no place for a kid, nonetheless a baby… _

Stifling her grumbles with a bite from her apple, Tanya turned away from the fridge and dropped the core into the trash.  _ I sure as hell can't expect a fairy trail ending if I steal his shit and runoff.  _ Tanya sighed.  _ I should just get it over with and tell him the big news when he comes back. Maybe it will end well...maybe.  _

Turning off the light to the kitchen once more, she made her way back into the living room. _ If I'm telling Mao Mao the truth then, I can't leave or even let it look like I left. _ The tanuki reached into her cape pocket and pulled out her keys.  _ So that means back into the couch with you.  _

After carefully placing her keys to freedom- literally- back into the couch, Tanya dragged her feet back into the cell; slamming the door behind her. _ I hope this is worth it. _

* * *

At the sound of the front door opening, Tanya raised her gaze from her ultrasound, that of which she had been staring for far too long. Recognizing Mao Mao and Badgerclops’ hushed voices, the Tanuki tucked the picture into her cape and sat up on the cot; flinging her legs over the side of her bed.  _ About time. I want to get this over with... _

"After lunch you're gonna start on the extra security measures the King asked for, right?" Mao Mao asked his deputy, the sound of his voice traveling to the back of the house where Tanya sat. 

Badgerclops sighed. "I think security cameras in literally every corner of the castle is a bit much. That'll end up being, like, over two hundred cameras I'll have to make!"

"Look, the King just wants to feel secure after Tanya's...  _ break-in.  _ We can only do so much to quell his fears." Mao Mao lectured, and Tanya could practically hear the badger roll his eye from her cell. "Besides, he has a point. The King didn't need to worry about security when the Ruby Pureheart was protecting the valley, but now that it's gone, unknown travelers will begin to arrive. Who knows what troubles they can bring."

"Ugh fine, I'll make the stuff. But I better get overtime for this."

"Fine." Mao Mao waved his hand dismissively, clearly not caring how much money his deputy made. "Just don't procrastinate. You know what the King said-"

"Yeah yeah, he wants it done by the end of the week." 

Nodding in confirmation, Mao Mao turned on his heel and made his way to the back of the house. His eyes scanned over his desk, inspecting the papers for a quick second; his eyebrows furrowed.

"Took you long enough," Tanya spoke from her cell, bringing the cat's attention away from whatever he had been looking at. For some reason, he looked surprised to see her.

"You're still here." He stated.

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Where else would I be?"

Mao Mao hesitated, before shaking his head softly, walking over to the cell. "Forget I said anything. What did you do with your time?"

"Looked at the ceiling mostly." She lied.

"This whole time?"

She shrugged. "What can I say, it's an interesting ceiling. There's a crack that looks like a duck."

The edge of Mao Mao's mouth tipped upwards, unnoticeable to the untrained eye; not for Tanya however, who hid her own smile with a paw. He extracted the cell's keys from his red belt and unlocked the door for her. "Hm, well, I'm going to help Badgerclops make some lunch. If you want to watch some TV I recommend starting now before he gets his show on."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tanya smirked, sliding the bars open. Mao Mao nodded, before turning away from the Tanuki and making his way towards the kitchen. 

"Actually Mittens." Tanya flinched, taking a step forward. Mao Mao paused and turned to face her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I… have to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

Tanya took a deep breath, attempting to hide her clenched fists behind her back. _ I've known Mao Mao for almost seven years now. I may tease him, maybe even too much, and he might be a fuddy-duddy...but he would never purposefully hurt me. At least not with something like this. I can do this...  _ "Mao Mao, I-I'm-"

_ "SO BORED!"  _ The pair jumped at the bat's sudden exclamation, swiveling their heads to gaze down at Adorabat, who had just pranced out of the bedroom. "You’ve guys have been gone forever and you promised you'd teach me how to do a backflip!"

He sighed. "I will, Adorabat. A hero never breaks their promises. How about after lunch?"

Adorabat gazed up at the cat, her wide yellow eyes filled with an array of emotions; excitement, awe, determination...love. She let out a  _ woo _ in joy and bolted to the kitchen, clearly excited at the prospect of being taught by the legendary cat himself. Mao Mao’s eyes followed the girl as she skipped into the other room. 

Tanya inspected his face and she couldn’t help but be surprised to find Adorabat’s expression mirrored onto his own.  _ He really does love her, and I no doubt believe the badger loves her too… they're content with this life. Saving the valley and raising this sweetypie in their free time… would I be ruining this? Do I have any right to tread on their perfect life? _

"Tanya? What was it you're were going to say?" Mao Mao suddenly asked, waking the Tanuki from her thoughts. She turned back to face the cat, all fight gone from her body.

_ ...No, I don't have the right to meddle with this, especially when it’s exactly what Mao Mao has always wanted, even though he may not realize it yet... _ "I was going to say I'm… not hungry."

Mao Mao frowned. "Are you sure that’s it?"

She nodded with a sigh, deflated. "I think it would be best if I caught up on my sleep instead. It feels as though I have slept in days."

"Oh... alright I suppose. I'll make sure to save a plate for you."

She nodded, and turned back to the cell; Mao Mao stood still for a few seconds, watching her retreat back to her cot, before sighing and following Adorabat into the kitchen.

* * *

Moonlight filtered through the waterfall, casting twirling and twisting shadows onto the garage's floor. Neither Mao Mao or Badgerclops paid attention to the beautiful patterns swirling behind them though, as all their attention was on the monitor on the badger's desk. He sat in front of the computer, with Mao Mao peering over his shoulder. 

"Dude, I think this is a bit of an overreaction. I mean, if she had managed to escape she'd probably be long gone right now." Badgerclops huffed. "Most likely with our life savings in her pocket."

"I know what I saw Badgerclops."

He groaned. "So you're making me looking at the security cameras because some of your stupid papers on your desk were moved a couple of inches to the right?"

"It was actually to the left, and yes, that is exactly why I'm making you look at the cameras." The cat frowned, thinking back to when he had arrived back home and saw the stray folders disorganized. Tanya had called out for him before he could fully investigate, but the memory of his disturbed desk stuck with the cat for the rest of the day.

Badgerclops rolled his eye and began typing into the computer, bringing up the cameras' live footage; specifically the living room. "A breeze could have moved them, y’know."

"The windows were closed and there was so draft near my desk when we came home" The cat closed down the theory, crossing his arms over his chest. "Go back to when we left for the castle."

"Alrighty." Badgerclops pressed a couple of keys and suddenly the footage began to rewind. It showed the trio watching tv earlier that evening, Mao Mao and Adorabat walking into the dojo to train, Tanya and his conversation beside the desk in question, and finally them arriving home.

"Is there a camera to see into the cell?"

"No, Pinky destroyed that one last time he was in there. Crazy bastard…"

Mao Mao glared at Badgerclops' choice of words, but surprisingly didn't ask for a quarter to put into the swear jar; he most likely secretly agreed with the badger's description of the pink rhino, although he’d never admit it.

The rewind continued for a few seconds, long enough for Badgerclops to sigh in annoyance and glance up at the cat. "Dude, she clearly didn't do anything, and even if she wanted to, it's not like she even could. I made the lock on that cell myself and put it through some pretty  _ extreme _ tests. It's practically unbreakable-"

_ "Wait, stop! Look at that! _ " The cat suddenly called out, pointing to the screen. Badgerclops' snapped his neck back to the monitor and slapped the space bar; pausing the screen. 

Sitting on Mao Mao's desk, right where the papers had been moved, was Tanya; free from her cell.

Mao Mao glanced down at the badger with an unimpressed expression. "Unbreakable, huh?"

"Okay, that's unfair! I meant, like, unbreakable to normal people. Not to freaking  _ Tanya Keys!" _

"Yeah yeah, just let it play."

Badgerclops grumbled incoherently and pressed the spacebar once more; unpausing the footage. They watched silently as Tanya inspected the desk, before heading over to the kitchen. The badger switched to a different angle so they could follow her.

"Aw dude, she stole an apple." 

Mao Mao squinted at the screen, watching the Tanuki nibble on the fruit while opening the fridge door. "We got bigger fish to fry, Badgerclops. She could have stolen other more important things...”

"I swear to God if she lays a  _ single  _ paw on my snacks…"

Tanya closed the fridge, her gaze coming to rest on the door; specifically, the drawings and calendar pasted to the outside of the appliance.

"What is she looking at?" Mao Mao muttered to himself.

"She's probably making fun of Adorabat's art or something. What a jerk…"

“Hm, I don’t think so. If anything it looks like she’s admiring it.” As if on cue, Tanya reached forward, gently touching Adorabat’s drawing. “See?”

“Still doesn’t explain why she’s looking at it in the first place...” Badgerclops mumbled. 

They watched as Tanya dropped her apple core in the trash and made her way back out into the living room; compelling Bdgerclops to once again change back to their other camera. The tanuki slipped something out from her cape, squeezing it in her fist, before stuffing whatever it was into the couch’s cushions. 

“What was  _ that _ ?” Mao Mao raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the badger. 

“Those looked like her keys! She must’ve grabbed them at some point and that was her...returning them back to where she found them?”

“But why would Tanya do that? Mao Mao questioned. “And why were her keys in the couch to begin with?”

“They might have… slipped out of my belt when I was watching my show.” Badgerclops grinned sheepishly, much to Mao Mao’s displeasure.

“...Seriously man?”

“Hey, I got them back, okay? No need to worry.” Badgerclops reached into his leather bandolier, pulling the golden keys out from one of the numerous pockets. “See?”

Mao Mao huffed and snatched the keys from his deputy, placing them in his scarlet belt. “I’ll carry those now, thank you very much.” 

“Ugh, fine.  _ Killjoy… _ ”

Ignoring Badgerclops, Mao Mao turned his attention back to the footage. After Tanya returned her keys, she quickly made her way back to her cell and slammed the door shut; locking herself in.

“Huh, guess that’s that.” Badgerclops leaned back in his chair, pausing the video. “She changed her mind about leaving, I guess.”

“...Or this is what she was planning the whole time! She must’ve planted something…” Mao Mao waved his hand at the badger. Getting the message, Badgerclops sighed and got out of the chair, letting the cat take his spot in front of the computer. “We’ll have to rewatch her attempted escape again and-”

“Yeah...no. Count me out man, I’m beat.” He yawned with a stretch. “I’m heading to bed and I suggest you do too.”

“Ha! I can’t even imagine sleeping when the possibility of crime is afoot!” Mao Mao leaned towards the monitor, playing with the keyboard to reverse the footage once more.

Badgerclops sighed knowingly. “Fine, but I’m not gonna feel sympathetic when you wake up tomorrow with a headache cause you got an hour of sleep.”

“Uh huh…” Mao Mao mumbled, eyes glued to the tanuki’s movement on the screen; completely ignoring Badgerclops. Rolling his eye, the deputy sheriff yawned once more before heading back up the stairs; leaving the cat to himself. 

Mao Mao’s slitted eyes followed Tanya as she hopped onto her desk; carelessly sitting on his paperwork as if somehow teasing him through time and space. The cat growled to himself, placing his elbows on the desk and his chin in his hands; gaze glued to her form.  _ “What are you hiding, Keys…” _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANYWAY! If you liked this chapter please leave a Kudos/Favorite/Follow and a Review/Comment. Reviews and stuff really inspire me a lot! Even just happy key smashes and rambles about the chapter help me focus and work on this stuff!
> 
> Oh, I got a new Tumblr too! I answer questions about the fic, release extra/deleted content there, and post updates on how the writing progress is going. I suggest you check it out if you enjoy this fic or are feeling impatient for the new chapter. The username is Floopasloop!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hm, so I guess even the legendary Sheriff feels pain. How shocking."
> 
> "Tsk, when have I ever said I couldn't? It's just… a rare occurrence, obviously."
> 
> "Yeah, obviously." She repeated teasingly. "So what is it? A sore back from bending down to kiss the King's ass-"
> 
> "It's a headache," He rolled his eyes. "I stayed up a little too late-"
> 
> "You didn't go to bed, did you?"
> 
> "No, I didn't. I was too busy with a case." He popped a tablet in his mouth, swallowing it without any water. 
> 
> "Oh, a case. Did someone steal a candy bar from the store again?" She teased, before popping her toothbrush back into her mouth.
> 
> "It's confidential."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, new chapter! This one is pure filler and fluff (with a little bit of spiciness 0.0) so don’t expect any plot advances in this one lol
> 
> Feel I have to mention if you have a thing against vomit uhhhhh sorry lol. I don’t describe it but it’s mentioned a couple of times.
> 
> This chapter is called Bathroom cause they're in the bathroom a lot idk man
> 
> I got a Tumblr too! I answer questions about the fic, release extra/deleted content there, and post updates on how the writing progress is going. I suggest you check it out if you enjoy this fic or are feeling impatient for the new chapter. The username is Floopasloop!
> 
> Hope you enjoy

**Eight Weeks**

  
  


Mao Mao refused to admit Badgerclops was right; even as he sat at the kitchen table after a sleepless night of looking over the tapes; a pounding in his head. The clock on the microwave blinked _ 7:00 am _ at him teasingly and the cat couldn't help but sigh as he sipped at his black coffee, cringing against the pain resonating between his ears. _ Tanya is hiding something, I know it! With how she was acting at the castle, the way her doctor kept on saying whatever the hell Tanya's problem is is 'private,' and the way she acted yesterday; clearly wanting to tell me something but backing out at the last second, something is wrong! But what! What could it be!? _

Instinctively, he glanced up at Adorabat's drawings that were pasted to the fridge door, the same ones Tanya had been staring at the day before, and no doubt the key to all of this. _ Why look at that? What's the point _ ? 

With a frustrated grunt, Mao Mao raised his cup to his lips again. _ In any case, Adorabat and Badgerclops should be waking up soon, and I have already unlocked Tanya's cell. I might as well start making breakfast. _

The cat scooched his chair out from behind him, standing up from the table. The sudden movement made his headache suddenly spike in pain; enough for the Sheriff to grit his teeth and clutch his head. _ Ugh, maybe I should get a painkiller first. _

Slipping out of the kitchen, Mao Mao made his way over to the bedroom; not even attempting to stifle his footsteps as he looked over the sleeping pair. Adorabat was fast asleep, while Badgerclops grumbled in annoyance; clearly not pleased by the sounds of the cat. Rolling his eyes, Mao Mao turned away from the bunk bed and opened the door to the bathroom.

"...What are you doing?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, looking down at the Tanuki rummaging in Badgerclops's drawers underneath his sink. 

Tanya didn't seem surprised to see him, only leaning back on her haunches and looking up to meet his gaze, "You never offered me a toothbrush so I'm on the hunt for one. I figured it would be under one of your sinks, considering there's _ three _of them, but no such luck."

"...That's it?" 

"Yeah?" She raised an eyebrow. "Unless you have something worth hiding in here-"

Mao Mao silenced her with a jump up onto Badgerclops' sink, throwing open the hidden medicine cabinet behind the mirror. He grabbed one of the boxed toothbrushes, throwing it down to the Tanuki, before grabbing the bottle of pain medication. The cat leaped back to the floor, attempting to ignore the sudden increase of pain resonating from his head.

"You can use my toothpaste." He nodded towards his own sink.

"Thanks, Mittens." She smiled in amusement, using one of her claws to make a slit in the box; pulling out the green toothbrush. Disposing of the box, she wet the bristles under the tap before adding a pea-sized blob of toothpaste.

He grunted in acknowledgment, twisting open the bottle of pain medication. Tanya watched out of the corner of her eyes as she began to brush her teeth. "Hm, so I guess even the _ legendary _ Sheriff feels pain. How shocking."

"Tsk, when have I ever said I couldn't? It's just… a rare occurrence, obviously."

"Yeah, _ obviously." _She repeated teasingly. "So what is it? A sore back from bending down to kiss the King's ass-"

"It's a headache," He rolled his eyes. "I stayed up a _ little _ too late-"

"You didn't go to bed, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I was too busy with a case." He popped a tablet in his mouth, swallowing it without any water. 

"Oh, a _ case. _Did someone steal a candy bar from the store again?" She teased, before popping her toothbrush back into her mouth.

"It's confidential." Mao Mao jumped back onto the sink, returning the bottle back to where he had found it; hopping back down to Tanya's side. "But if you must know, no, it isn't about a candy bar. Or at least, not that I know of…"

Tanya smirked in amusement, before spitting out her toothpaste into the sink; dousing the toothbrush once again with water before placing it on the counter. "Sounds awfully serious."

"You bet your butt it is." 

The bathroom door slid open once again, revealing an exhausted-looking Badgerclops and Adorabat standing in the doorway. The bat hopped off his shoulder and glided down to her own small sink, while Badgerclops stumbled to the shower and turned it on. 

"I'm going to go get started on breakfast." Mao Mao decided, quickly leaving the room.

At the sight of the cyborg beginning to tug off his bandolier and step into the tub, Tanya turned on her heel and followed the cat. 

* * *

Tanya couldn't remember the last time she had sat on a couch and watched mindless television, although she couldn't exactly say she wasn't amused by the whole affair. A peacock was currently dancing around on the screen attempting to make her buy some sort of apple peeler. Not only could Tanya tell that the item itself was the equivalent of garbage, but she sensed the bird was on the edge of snapping; his ruffled feathers and red eyes were telling as much. _ I guess repeating the same _ buy one get two free _ spiel is a bit craze inducing. _

"Whatcha watching?" 

Tanya looked down at Adorabat, who had just jumped onto the sofa beside her; a bit too close for comfort. The bat looked up at her with big eyes and a trusting smile.

The Tanuki shrugged, gesturing to the screen with the remote in hand. "What seems to be a peacock's last attempt to not go bankrupt."

Clearly the young girl had no idea what she had just said, but she nodded enthusiastically anyway. 

Tanya couldn't help but smile, placing the remote between the two of them. "You can pick the channel."

The bat grinned, eagerly snatching the remote and flipping through the channels quicker than Tanya could see. Eventually, Adorabat seemingly found what she was looking for and put the remote down; leaving it on a cooking competition. Although, it seemed like Adorabat's attention wasn't on the show, but on Tanya herself. 

"Mao Mao and Badgerclops told me you live here now." Adorabat smiled.

"It's only temporary."

"Oh..." Adorabat seemed downtrodden for a few seconds, before bouncing up to her regular happy self. "Well, while you're here you can teach me all your cool tricks! Like how to do the stuff with your leaves or how to turn into a chair o-or... _ something _!"

Tanya leaned back against her armrest, "I can't just _ teach _ you my abilities, the power I have runs in my family for generations." Tanya paused, her eyes falling to her lap. "Even then, I'm the first to have this ability in decades, the last being my great-great-great-grandmother…"

"_ Woah…" _Adorabat looked up at her with wide eyes, before frowning in concentration. "Hm...If you can't teach me to do your crazy shapeshifting then, how about you show me some other stuff?!"

"Hm, well…" Tanya nonchalantly laid a hand on her stomach and leaned back on the couch. "I'd hate to show off my secrets little one, but since you asked so sweetly…"

The tanuki hopped off the couch and Adorabat squealed in excitement. "What are ya gonna teach me?!"

The older woman only smiled and nodded her head towards the dojo. "C'mon, I'll show you before breakfast some-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, the five-year-old had dashed off the sofa; using her wings to launch herself like a missile into the training room. Tanya couldn't help but roll her eyes and follow.

* * *

"So you spent all night, when you could have been sleeping, investigating Tanya? And in the end, you couldn't even find anything?" Badgerclops deadpanned, placing his cup of sweetened coffee down on the kitchen table; before dropping himself onto his chair as well.

Mao Mao frowned, glancing away from the eggs he was frying, to Badgerclops' sleepy face. "When you say it like that it makes it sound like staying up to investigate this was a mistake."

"It was. It was a mistake." He took a sip. "Maybe Tanya wasn't trying to escape, Mao Mao."

"Then why break out of her cell?"

"Dude, she's Tanya Keys. I wouldn't be surprised if cracking locks was more instinctive to her than sleeping or eating."

Mao Mao huffed in frustration, his gaze falling back to his fried egg. He flipped it carefully, managing to keep the yolk intact. "I checked the security tapes for hours, looking over every minuscule detail but still, I came up empty-handed. She didn't place any bugs, cameras of her own, and she didn't even steal anything!"

"Except for the apple." Badgerclops nodded to the fruit bowl, where indeed, the succulent apple was missing.

The cat sighed. "Yes, except for the apple…" He turned off the stove and slid his egg out of the pan and onto one of the plates resting on the counter beside him; the other three already had a completed breakfast set upon them, and Mao Mao's egg finished the finale plate. "I even disassembled the Aero-Trucks keys that she put back under the couch to check for something, _ anything _. Still...nothing." He dropped the spatula and pan in the sink far harder than needed; his teeth gritted in frustration.

Badgerclops' gaze followed his friend as he moved to place the badger's breakfast onto the table, alongside everyone else's. "Mao Mao, I get where you're coming from, but in the end, you can't forget that she's still _ here." _

"I know I know. If she wanted she could have picked us dry and smashed a window out, but she didn't, and that's the most confusing thing of all." He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest in confusion. "I guess… it would be best to push this to the side until later. We should keep an eye on her for another incident, but taking care of her health comes first."

Badgerclops snorted, muttering something into his cup of coffee.

"What was that?"

"Oh, I just said she's got you whipped." He deadpanned, not attempting to hide what he had muttered.

Mao Mao's fur bristled. "H-hey! Watch it or your breakfast is going in the trash." At the sign of Badgerclops' shocked expression, the cat smirked; turning towards the living room. "Adorabat, Tanya, breakfast is rea-"

He paused at the doorway, raising a confused eyebrow. "Uhhh, where did they go?"

The living room was empty; the tv playing for no one in question. He frowned, walking over to grab the remote and shut it off 

"I think they went into the dojo." Badgerclops stood up to refill his cup of joe, yelling so the feline could hear him.

"Hmm…" Mao Mao muttered suspiciously and made his way to the room in question. "Alright, what's going on in here?" The feline stepped past the doorway, his eyes falling to the duo.

Tanya was doing some type of pose, a very complex and difficult one from the looks of it. She was balanced on two hands, the rest of her body standing straight with her nose pointed towards the dojo's wood floor; her back arched so her toes almost brushed against the Tanuki's ears. The stance showcased her strength, balance, and most importantly, flexibility.

**{{Authors Note: The pose Tanya is performing is called Scorpian pose in case you’d like to know!}}**

It also made him feel a little nostalgic. When they were younger and traveling together, Tanya was known to practice said poses before any confrontation with their bounty targets; as a way to stretch and warm herself up before a fight; Every single time. Teen Mao Mao was a much more _ unsheath sword first ask questions later kinda guy _ , so he couldn't help but find the stretches pointless; but no matter what he'd say she would keep on at it. After a while, she offered to teach him a couple and he didn't pass up the offer. _ I still remember how sore my muscles felt after doing them. Felt like I got sucker-punched by a wall of concrete. _

Knowing just how difficult that particular pose was, especially the part with the arched back (even though the cat was flexible, he certainly wasn't _ that _flexible), Mao Mao couldn't help but be impressed.

He also couldn't help but find it extremely attractive. 

He blushed, a mixture of warmth and shame running through his fur. With a small shake of his head, expertly clearing his head of such thoughts, he turned his attention to Adorabat.

She was attempting to copy the position, but with her flimsy wings, it made it rather difficult. Still, the bat seemed to enjoy the challenge and had a large grin stretched across her face.

At the sound of Mao Mao entering, the pair's eyes fell to the cat. Tanya smirked. "It's nice of you to stop by, Mittens."

"Stop by? This is my house!" He huffed. "Which is important to remember since I _ never _ gave you permission to practice in here."

"Oh c'mon, Mao Mao!" Adorabat squealed, falling on her butt and out of the pose. "Miss Tanya was just teaching me some yoga. It's so much fun!"

"Yoga?" He raised an eyebrow, turning his attention back to the Tanuki. She gracefully rolled out of her complicated stance, looking awfully nonchalant. "Adorabat, I already tried to teach you yoga and you said you didn't like it."

"Yeah, but that's because _ you _ taught it. Miss Tanya makes it fun." 

Mao Mao gasped indignantly, glaring at the smug Tanya Keys. "What are you talking about?! We had fun!"

"No. No, we didn't." The bat jumped up to her feet. "Is breakfast ready?"

The feline huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes. "Yeah yeah, it's ready. Go wash your hands first-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a blue blur sped past him out of the dojo; leaving the two adults alone. 

_ "I can't believe the nerve of that girl..." _ Mao Mao muttered to himself, although judging on the way Tanya laughed, she heard as well.

"Oh, don't get your cape in a bunch, Sheriff. She means well." She stood up, brushing her backside off so her fur was free of dust. "I'm sure your drab old meditation lessons were much worse than your yoga ones."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Was it supposed to?" She smirked at him, taking a step towards the cat; only to find herself stumbling towards the floor. In less than a blink of an eye, Mao Mao was by her side, successfully catching her before she tumbled down.

"Are you alright?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"_ Ugh, _ yeah…" She blinked open her eyes, shaking her head to clear it. "Just got dizzy for a second…"

_ When have you ever been dizzy, Tanya _? He wanted to ask but decided against it. "Guess all those fancy poses are starting to be too much for you."

"Ha! Don't insult me Mittens." She flashed him her pearly whites. "It's not my fault you make me weak in the knees~" Tanya teased him, leaning into his grasp as if she were fainting.

"Oh haha." He faked a laugh, although he couldn't hide the blush that rose to his cheeks, mostly due to their close proximity and her words. "Your wisecracks are truly one of a kind, Tanya."

"Hm, who said I was joking, my _ kitten _?" Her nose brushed against Mao Mao's sensitive ear fur, and he couldn't help but shiver; unable to tell if it was because of her words or the soft movement. She smirked knowingly and used the distraction as a way to slide out of his grasp. "I'll go wash up, I'll see you in a few~"

And with that, she sauntered out of the dojo, her tail teasingly wagging back and forth as she made her way to the bathroom; leaving a disgruntled Mao Mao in its wake. 

"..._ She's gonna be the death of me _" He muttered to himself, his head in his gloved paws.

  
  


* * *

_ That was far too close. _ Tanya let out a shaky sigh, turning on the tap; letting water flow over her paws in the sink. She ran the bar of soap through her hands before beginning to scrub them clean. _ I hope Mao Mao didn't notice I was leaning on him for support when we were talking, I felt like I was going to faint. _

She let out a soft sigh, splashing water up onto her face to cool herself down. The dizzy feeling hadn't completely gone away yet either, not to mention her aching muscles and joints from yoga with Adorabat. _ Note to self, don't do any more training. At least, not until I feel a bit better. _Turning the tap off, Tanya used a nearby towel to dry her hands and her face off. 

Once again meeting her gaze in her reflection, she frowned. Her usually bright eyes looked dull, clouded. Forcing herself to smirk, Tanya attempted to gain her facade once again; it worked, but just barely. With a self-assuring nod, the Tanuki turned the bathroom light off and headed to the kitchen. 

"Miss Tanya! Wanna sit next to me?" Adorabat piped up, gesturing wildly to the empty chair to her left; it was the only chair left.

Amused, Tanya snickered. "Sure kid." She pulled it back and sat down, before pulling herself in. In front of her was a plate of eggs, bacon, and hashed browns; it looked exactly the same as the breakfasts Mao Mao would cook for her when they traveled together. Nostalgia danced in her stomach, warming the Tanuki from the inside until she had a genuine smile on her face. _ I wonder if it tastes as good as I remember? _

Tanya leaned in and took a big whiff of the food.

She gagged. 

Immediately she pulled back and covered her muzzle; shivering "Ugh! It smells disgusting!"

"Hey!" Mao Mao huffed, swallowing a bite of his bacon. "What are you talking about?"

"D-did you check if the eggs were out of date?" She yelped through her paws, which was closed around her muzzle; attempting to block the scent out.

"Tsk, of course I did! I'm not some sort of cooking _ newbie _!" He huffed arrogantly. There were a few seconds of silence, before a conflicted grimace overcame his smirk and he silently stood from his chair and walked over to the fridge; taking out the egg carton. There was a moment of tension as he read the packaging, before his cocky grin returned. "No, ha! See? These babies aren’t bad for another week!"

_ "It's kinda worrying you had to check." _ Badgerclops muttered into his coffee as Mao Mao sat back down.

Ignoring the sly comment, Tanya frowned. "Then why the hell does it smell so bad?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! It tastes great!" Adorabat grinned, her mouth covered in egg yolk. Tanya felt her stomach coil in nausea.

"Don't knock it till you try it." Badgerclops agreed and slid his fork back in his mouth. 

The Tanuki forced a smirk as she shrugged. "...Fine, what do I have to lose?"

Wrinkling her nose, Tanya tore off a piece of the egg; attempting to ignore the stench that radiated from such a tiny morsel. With a deep breath, she brought it to her lips and placed the fork into her mouth.

Mao Mao picked up his fork once more. "See? Not so bad, now is it-"

** _~~SCREEECH~~_ **

The sound of Tanya's chair being thrust back caused the trio to jump; Mao Mao's hand instinctively falling to Geraldine as he leaped out of his chair as well. Before they could even register what had happened, Tanya had bolted from the table and into the living room; a few seconds later, the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut echoed across the house. Although it didn't seem to muffle the sounds of vomit hitting the bottom of a toilet bowl well; much to the trio's shock.

"...Holy shit dude, you poisoned her!" Badgerclops yelped, dropping his fork and standing up from the table as well.

"Woah Woah Woah, no I didn't!" Mao Mao growled back, his fur bristled. "And watch your language!"

"Oh gosh, are we gonna be sick too?!" Adorabat screeched, scraping the food off her tongue.

"Of course not, Adorabat! There's no way I could have messed up enough to cause… _ that!" _ He gestured widely, referring to the continued sounds from the bathroom. "Besides, food poisoning doesn't occur _ that _ quickly! It must be something...else…."

He trailed off, his eyes widening after a few seconds of thought. "...Tanya Keys is throwing up in our bathroom." A panic-stricken expression crossed his face as he suddenly began to realize the state of his friend. "_ Oh god, Tanya Keys is throwing up in our bathroom!" _Quickly sheathing Geraldine with a muttered curse, Mao Mao hopped over the table and ran out of the kitchen, sprinting into the bedroom until he stood in front of the bathroom door. He tried the knob. Locked. "Tanya?! Are you okay?!"

There was a sound of a toilet flushing and the familiar groan of a certain Tanuki. "...._ yeah, I'm fine _."

"You sure dude?" Badgerclops leaned against the doorway, arriving just after Mao Mao did; Adorabat sitting on his shoulder. 

"_ Yes yes, it's all- HNNNG~" _The distinct sound of someone being sick interrupted Tanya; no doubt herself.

"Oh screw that, I'm out." Badgerclops shivered. "I'm an empathetic puker."

"Then why are you standing there?! Go!" Mao Mao waved him out of the room, the thought of having two sick people enough to make even the strong stomached cat queasy. Adorabat followed silently, clearly affected by the sound as well; judging by her green face. "Unlock the door, Tanya."

"_ I would but I'm kinda busy at the moment!" _She hissed out, somehow still sounding flirtatious.

“Well then make yourself _ unbusy _.”

“That certainly wouldn’t be a pretty sight.” She chuckled dryly, before falling silent. Antsy, Mao Mao shuffled his feet awkwardly outside the bathroom; his ears trained for any sound originating from behind the locked door. Just as the silence was becoming far too jarring, he reached for the knob once again, only for it to swing open.

Tanya wasn’t looking too good. Her fur was dull and clumped with sweat, and the unpleasing scent of perspiration and vomit radiated off the poor tanuki. Her turquoise eyes, usually sparkling devilishly, were dim with pain and embarrassment; Mao Mao was surprised he could read her expressions so easily, as she generally had her feelings under wraps rather well. It was something he always respected about her; now he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the thief, if not a little weary about the whole situation.

“You look crummy.” He said frankly, his squinted eyes falling to her cape; that of which was wrinkled while the knot securing it around her neck was loose.

“Thank you Mittens.” She sniffled, leaning against the doorway weakly, her eyes fluttering shut. “You always know what to say in situations like this.”

“Are you..finished?” 

Absentmindedly whipping the corner of her mouth with her paw, Tanya sighed. “Yes yes, I’m finished.” A hesitant but charismatic smirk stretched across her face and she met his eyes, “I suppose my stomach just isn’t used to your _ plebian eggs _. I’m fine now though, nothing to worry your fluffy little head over.”

Mao Mao snorted, crossing his arms, “Okay, I’m calling-”

“Bullshit?” She attempted to finish his sentence. 

“Poppycock.” He corrected, before pushing past her into the bathroom. She followed him with her gaze, lifting an eyebrow in confusion. “Based on how much you’re leaning against that doorframe, I highly doubt you’re feeling_ ‘alright.’” _

The cat didn’t notice the annoyed flick of her eyes, as he was too busy pulling back the shower curtain and plugging the tub’s drain; her annoyance quickly developed into curiosity and she stepped over to his side. “What are you doing, Mittens?”

“What does it look like?” Warm water began to run from the faucet as he twisted it on. “I’m drawing a bath for you.”

“...Huh.” She didn’t seem to have a response as he turned away from the bath and walked over to his sink; waiting for it to fill. Mao Mao reached for his small cup, primarily used for mouth wash, and filled it to the brim with water.

“Here,” He passed it to the tanuki, quickly turning away once again so he could rummage through the various bottles by the side of the bath. Gratefully taking the glass, Tanya chugged back the cooling liquid; letting out a sigh of relief as the rancid taste in her mouth and burning in her throat dissipated. Seemingly finding the soap he wanted, the cat twisted the cap off and poured a decent helping into the tub; almost immediately the water began to bubble. Turning off the faucet, he finally turned to face his friend. “So, are you gonna get in willingly or is this gonna have to be another disagreement?”

“Oh Sheriff, you know I’d never turn down a good soak.” Not needing to be told twice, she reached up and began to untie her cape; placing it on the sink’s basin once it was free of her neck. Mao Mao stood by her side as she stepped in, making sure she didn’t stumble and hurt herself; a gloved paw ghosting her back while another gently held her hand. Tanya wrinkled her nose at the help but hadn’t turned it down. _ That’s progress, baby! _

The tanuki let out a groan of relief as she began to settle in the warm water, her head falling back to rest against the tiled wall. “Ooh, this is just what I needed~”

Moving the bathroom’s petite trashbin over to the side of the tub, in case she felt sick once again, Mao Mao grinned. “I think you owe a certain _ someone _ a thank you?”

“Hmm, I suppose so.” She blinked open an eye, gazing up at him with a quirked brow. “If you could call Adorabat in here that would be must appreciated, dear. I’d rather get it done now rather than later-”

“I meant myself.” He responded flatly. 

“Oh I know,” Tanya grinned, closing her eyes once more; sinking deeper and deeper into the bubbles until only her ears were visible. “I just enjoy toying with you.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the cat rolled his eyes. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Although, I do expect an explanation for this whole… _ situation _ after you are done. Badgerclops and Adorabat attempted to convince me this was caused by my cooking but of course, I have my doubts. I mean, c’mon, any sane person would know any food I touch turns into a five-star meal, not into some quick-acting emetic-” 

Distracted by his own ramblings, Mao Mao failed to notice a paw reaching out to grab his scarlet belt; suddenly pulling the cat down till his eyes were level with the tanuki’s lidded ones. If it was anyone else, the paw clasping his belt would be forcibly removed from his armor, and then removed from the _ owner _of said paw with one slash of Geraldine; but with Tanya Keys, he froze like deer in headlights, his breath petrified in his chest.

She smirked, pulling him even closer than before until her muzzle brushed gently against his cheek; bubbles that clung to her fur transferring over to Mao Mao fluffed out pelt. “_ You talk far too much, kitten _~”

He opened his mouth to respond yet nothing but a soft hiss escaped him; his eyes wide and face on fire. The overpowering fragrance of the soap he had picked for Tanya, alongside her own natural scent made his usual agile brain into a block of clay; alongside the thoughts racing through his mind, reminding him of the _ last time _ the two of them had been this close. 

_ “But I suppose you do deserve a thank you after all you’ve done…” _ She continued, the paw that laid on his belt shifted upwards, until it laid gently on his chest; the movement enough alone to make shiver travel up his spine, although the sensation of her pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek doubled the feeling tenfold. Especially when she met his gaze afterward; keeping their close distance. “ _ You have my gratitude, Mao Mao~” _

The cat barely had time to process the sound of his name on her lips before she lightly pushed him away; sinking back into the bubbles. “Close the door on the way out, would ya?” She asked nonchalantly, beginning to wash her fur as if nothing happened. Although, she couldn’t help but feel surprised when she heard the door shut quietly a few seconds later; he had left without saying a word, leaving a trail of bubbles and water from the tub to the door. 

The mental image of the flustered warrior heading back to breakfast with bubbles stuck to his fur and clothing made Tanya snort; her own flushed cheeks hidden by the mountain of suds around her.

Morning sickness sucked, but at least she got a little fun out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANYWAY! If you liked this chapter please leave a Kudos/Favorite/Follow and a Review/Comment. Reviews and stuff really inspire me a lot! Even just happy key smashes and rambles about the chapter help me focus and work on this stuff!
> 
> I got a Tumblr too! I answer questions about the fic, release extra/deleted content there, and post updates on how the writing progress is going. I suggest you check it out if you enjoy this fic or are feeling impatient for the new chapter. The username is Floopasloop!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Bounty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't abide by your schedule of unlawfulness! I am here to put a stop to whatever criminals acts you have planned!" Mao Mao replied with a bit too much gusto; truth be told, his feet were freezing, and his little speech kinda took his mind off it.
> 
> "God, has he always sounded like he has a stick up his ass?" A familiar voice called from behind him, making the cat's cheeks redden.
> 
> "You get used to it." Another voice added cheekily.
> 
> "Badgerclops, Tanya, you're ruining my entrance!" Mao Mao whined, glaring back at the pair; who only smirked innocently in reply, looking far too similar to one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This is the longest chapter so far, so I hope it makes up for the long wait! Tbh, this is my least favorite chapter so far to write and I don't think it came out that well, but oh well! It's probably because I've stared at it for so long!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**13 Weeks**

"Can you stop looking over my shoulder, dude? It's annoying. Like, what do you think you're doing down here in the first place?"

"Mao Mao suggested I keep you company."

Badgerclops audibly groaned, much to Tanya's amusement, and slid off his protective glasses; the King's half-built security camera monetarily forgotten on his desk, "So he instructed you to come down here and _ breathe _ down the back of my neck and be a general nuisance in typical Tanya fashion?"

"Nuisance is a strong word." Tanya chuckled, ignoring his question.

Badgerclops sighed and flipped back on his goggles, turning back to his work. Tanya watched in amusement for a few moments, before turning away to inspect the other things in the garage.

It had been six weeks since she had arrived, and surprisingly enough, she had integrated into their household rather well. She continued her lessons with Adorabat, although she made sure to go much easier on herself unlike the first time, and was rather surprised to find the bat making good progress. The girl was much more flexible than when she had begun and had even managed to integrate the stretches she had learned into her aerial combat. Every time Adorabat dragged her to the dojo to show her a new move, she couldn't help but feel...warm?

Badgerclops and her had an interesting relationship for sure, which made messing with him even more fun. If she had access to her leaf abilities, the pranks would be much more entertaining, but for now, the tame _ I put sugar in the salt shaker _jokes would have to do. The Tanuki even took to joining the Badger in the garage as he was forced to work on the cameras the King wanted, all because she had broken into the castle; it was quite ironic actually, and it wasn't lost on either of them. Even though the cyborg acted like he hated her presence, she knew he enjoyed the company; no matter how annoying it was. She guessed the reason why was because of her interest in his work, which the others most likely didn't give a rat's ass about. Tanya enjoyed watching him fiddle with the internal wiring of the devices, and at times even gave him suggestions; after all, she was practically a professional thief. She knew her way around cameras.

And then there was Mao Mao; last but certainly not least. After the breakfast incident, he had taken to being her "caregiver" rather well; although the Tanuki couldn't help but notice his dramatic reactions when she did her usual teasing with him. His cheeks would grow pink and he would always stammer, either asking to be excused or attempting to ignore the flirtatious words she spoke to him. It was quite obvious her remarks flustered the poor hero beyond belief, yet kicking her flirting habit was out of the question; seeing the tough sheriff being so cute was too good to give up. He still was clearly suspicious of the Tanuki, but seemed to hold back on asking her anything about it; especially since her symptoms, these last few weeks had been getting worse and worse.

Speaking of symptoms…

They were dreadful. Absolutely wicked.

The morning sickness had reached a point till anything but a gentle tea or fruit would make her lose her guts. She would often try to hide it, making sure to only eat when the trio was out protecting the valley just in case she felt sick, but more often than not just getting a whiff of what Mao Mao would be cooking for dinner would be enough to trigger her; at times like that the cat would often stay by her side and hold her cape out of the way. Her fatigue was growing as well, causing the Tanuki to sleep in much later and go to bed even earlier; most of the time with a throbbing headache.

Her emotions were out of wack too, which would almost always end with her either snapping at someone or sobbing; the latter she would often attempt to hide from the others to various levels of success. In these times when she wanted to either scream or hide under her covers, Tanya turned to food; which then would often end with her head in the toilet. It was a cycle she never seemed to be able to escape. If she wanted to eat pickles goddammit she was gonna eat pickles!

The most alarming "symptom" however was what was currently hidden underneath Tanya's baggy green sweater; the baby bump. She had only begun to notice it a couple of days ago after one of her vomit sessions in the bathroom; looking at herself in the mirror with a mix of awe and disgust. It was small still, but definitely noticeable compared to how flat her tummy was before. Tanya had quickly made her way to her cell and had slid on the gift Adorabat had given her when she arrived; when the bat saw her wearing it she almost cried. The fabric was loose enough to hide the bump, and it gave Tanya a few more weeks to figure everything out. Luckily, no one seemed to question her change in appearance, most likely because of the sudden weather shift in the valley.

Instinctively, Tanya turned her attention to the waterfall; where a couple of thick snowflakes could be seen managing to make its way through the torrent. Winter was in full bloom in the valley, causing the small town to be covered in a sheet of ice and snow; alongside a mighty temperature drop. From what the Tanuki was able to get out of Adorabat, it was seemingly the valley's first _real _winter in a hundred years; the Ruby Pureheart previously blocked out most of the bad weather, but now that the barrier was gone, the valley was once again being hit at full force.

The Sweetypies seemed overjoyed at the thought of a winter wonderland as they hadn't had one since some ice monster attacked the kingdom and caused it to lightly snow for a few days; although not everyone was happy about it. Mao Mao seemed freaked out by the thought of the unprepared village being covered in the thick flakes that fell from the sky, and he had spent the last few days out shoveling and making sure the citizens could handle such a storm. With Adorabat being too distracted by the thought of playing in the snow piles, and Badgerclops busy at work making the King's Cameras, the Cat was once again alone to deal with the town's troubles.

It seemed though that he had completed his job this morning after checking on the last sweetypie on his list, making sure they had enough canned food to last if they got snowed in while shoveling the snow off their porch. Now, Mao Mao was home and seemingly exhausted; crashed on the couch, snoring away. _ He deserves the rest_. Tanya decided. _ I don't think he's gotten a decent sleep since I got here. _

"Hey dude, can you pass me that baggie of screws on that shelf over there?" Badgerclops asked her, gesturing wildly to the left side of the room; his attention still on the camera.

"Of course," She smirked, grabbing the bag in question and sauntering over to his side. "I've got to wonder though… what's in it for me?"

At the sound of his exasperated groan, Tanya couldn't help but snicker. He paused whatever work he was doing and glared up at her, his eyes hidden by his goggles. "_ Dude _."

Tanya couldn't hold back anymore and laughed freely, "Oh you are too funny. Here you are, dear." She threw the bag on the table, much to the badger's pleasure. "I was only pulling your-"

_ BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP _

The pair jumped at the sudden electric noise, only to cringe a few moments later at the distinct thump from above them; most likely Mao Mao tumbling off the couch and onto the floor, surprised by the sound as well.

"...what the heck was that?" Badgerclops asked, sliding off his goggles so he could inspect the room from his seat.

_ BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP _

They cringed once again at the sound, this time however it was much clearer than it was coming from the room they were in; the garage.

Tanya stepped away from the work table, her ears swiveling, searching for the noise. After a few moments of concentration, the Tanuki's eyes widened. "Hold on, could it be-"

_ BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP _

At the sound repeating once again, her smile widened in realization. "Oh, it is! I'm surprised it took me that long to recognize it!"

"Recognize what?" Badgerclops asked.

"_ Badgerclops, that better not be an explosive again!" _Mao Mao yelled down the staircase from the living room.

"_ If we're about to be blown up, for once it isn't my fault!" _The cyborg yelled back.

"Don't worry Mittens, it's just the Aero-Truck," Tanya added.

There was a moment of silence as if Mao Mao was processing the pair's words before a familiar series of thumps echoed down the flight; signifying the cat's descent into the garage. "Wait wait wait, what the heck do you mean by _that!? _ I swear if I see another bomb on that desk..." He muttered.

Mao Mao's clothes were wrinkled, and the fur on the side of his face had been flattened, with a few drops of dried saliva stuck to his whiskers; it was obvious he had been abruptly awoken by the sound, without any time to check his appearance.

Tanya couldn't help but chuckle at the uncharacteristic look and stepped up to the cat. "_ I mean_, the sound is coming from a device in my Aero-Truck," she heedlessly reached out and flattened the wrinkles on his cape, not noticing (or ignoring), the way he flinched and flushed at the touch, "I'll need the keys so I can get inside."

"I-Inside?" Mao Mao frowned, mind drowsy from the wake-up call and from the tanuki's paw on his shoulder; although it didn't take long for his eyes to light up in sudden realization. "Hold on, is this some sort of escape attempt, Tanya?"

"Hah, as if! I have all of my stuff upstairs still in the cell-"

"-Guest room"

"-And even if I did want to run off, there's still the fact that you two could follow me on that _death trap _of yours. It would be far too tedious, although entirely possible, for me to outmaneuver you and getaway. All I want is to shut off the thing making noise so you can go back to taking a cat nap, and I can continue helping Badgerclops with the cameras. Cross my heart!"

There was a moment of silence as he took in her words; Badgerclops looking in between the two as if they were his parents. _ "...Just so you know Mao Mao, she isn't helping me with the cameras, she's just being super annoying." _ The badger muttered.

Mao Mao rolled his eyes, ignoring his friend's protest as he sighed, "...Ok fine, but _ I'm _ the one opening it." He glanced at Badgerclops while slipping the Aero-Truck's golden keys out of his red belt; making his way to the vehicle. "Taze her if she does anything suspicious."

It was now Tanya's turn to roll her eyes, although her smirk still hadn't fallen. "I'm hurt that you don't trust me, Mittens. How disrespectful."

The cat snorted, twirling her keys on a finger, "Please, if anything, I respect your prowess enough to know that doing something like this is right up your alley and that you're a formidable foe." The cat shrugged as he unlocked the passenger's side door. "I'd be disrespecting you by, I don't know, letting you rot in Callamoch Penitentiary for your crimes against King Snugglemagne and the people of Pure Heart Valley."

"Hm, how scathing." She replied with a scoff, although she couldn't hide the smirk spreading across her face at the underhanded compliment.

_ BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP _

The trio jumped at the sound, and Mao Mao quickly opened the truck door fully; moving slightly, although clearly not enough, to the side so Tanya could reach in. The tanuki opened the glove box and pulled a small, tablet-like device out; fiddling with the touch screen until the sound ceased.

"See, that's all there is to it," Tanya smirked.

"Wait, hold on, what is that?" Mao Mao asked, pointing to the gadget in her paws. "Is that some sort of secret spy phone?"

"Oh, this? I thought you would recognize it." She frowned. "I mean, I guess you haven't been a bounty hunter for a while though, it _ is _ the newest, cutting edge technology on the market."

Badgerclops' eyes widened in realization, and he stood up from his desk, suddenly looking a lot more animated, "Woah hold on, is that a-"

"_ Bountab _?" She snickered at his surprised expression. "It sure is."

"Man, I heard they were only giving those out to the kingdom's best hunters as testers! Not many have been made so far, so they're pretty rare." He said excitedly, "_ And super expensive…" _

"Wait wait wait, A bountyw_hat _?" Mao Mao piped up, confused, and feeling out of the loop. "What is it supposed to do?"

"Well, you know if you're a bounty hunter, you gotta go to a bounty agency to pick a target out, and if you want the good ones, you gotta tip off the attendant; And even then you're not given much, just a picture, the hit's last known location, and how much they're worth, right?"

"I _ do _ remember it being quite the hassle back in the day…" The cat reminisced.

She nodded in agreement. "Well, this eliminates all of that. This device gives you direct access to all the available bounty walls in the area, allowing you to pick and claim ones as you wish. It also gives you access to information about the case, and in some circumstances, you can even track hits with it if they are well known. It's quite the handy tool."

"Huh, how intriguing! I assume it's quite helpful."

"Oh, _ it is _." She sighed happily, holding the tablet to her chest. "It's just a dream!

"Yeah, well, too bad it doesn't come in gold." Mao Mao replied teasingly, shutting the Aero-Truck's golden door and locking it.

"Oh, how did you know, Mittens! I said the same thing when I first got it." She smirked.

"Haha, yeah, what a coincidence." Badgerclops rolled his eyes, sarcastic. "Since you two are forgetting why this conversation is happening, let me get us back on track and ask, why was the Bountab even making that noise in the first place?"

Tanya's eyes widened, and she looked down at the device in her hands. "...huh, I think I'm starting to realize why Mittens keeps you around, I suppose I got swept up in the excitement of it all and it had slipped my mind!"

Badgerclops gasped indignantly, only to quiet down when Mao Mao laid a paw gently on his shoulder; clearly a warning. The badger crossed his arms over his chest with a huff and plopped back down in his chair.

Tanya ignored their altercation, fiddling with the device for a few moments, only for her cyan eyes to widen as she found what she was looking for. "Oh, _ shit _."

"Language."

"What is it, dude?"

She ignored Mao Mao's hiss, deciding to answer Badgerclops instead, "Well, I found out why it was beeping."

"It's nothing bad, is it?"

She shrugged, "Depends on your interpretation of _ bad. _" Tanya sighed. "One of my bounties has been spotted in the area. Someone must've seen them, reported it to the authorities, and they sent the information to me so I could hunt them down."

The tanuki flipped the tablet around, showing off a map of the forest just south of the Pure Heart valley; where a singular dot pulsed deep in the woods.

Mao Mao blinked, taking a moment to let the information soak before his eyes hardened in anger. "There's a criminal in my jurisdiction?!"

"Two criminals, actually." She scrolled up on the tablet, before showing it off to them once again. "They go by Rufus and Reggie, and they're apparently wanted for attempting to scam a King a couple kingdoms over. If you ask me, I wish they succeeded, it would've been quite entertaining to see some royals getting all red-faced when they realized they've been duped."

Now it was Badgerclops' turn to hesitate, although it was clear he was focusing more on the criminal's names on the tablet rather than Tanya's words. "Wait, I recognize those guys…"

"Of course you do, they're the jerks who were tricking the Sweetypies!" Mao Mao yelled, "We ran them outta here months ago! So why in the king's name are they coming back?!"

"Oh hey, now I remember! We scared the crap out of them." Badgerclops laughed fondly at the memory. "Man, you gotta teach me how to impersonate Adorabat, because when you did it-'

"Yeah yeah, maybe later," Mao Mao huffed in annoyance, turning back to Tanya. "Where did it say they were?"

"As I said, they're about ten miles south from here…" Tanya raised an eyebrow as Mao Mao turned towards his Aero-Cycle, "Hold on, you're not going to go run after them, are you?"

"Of course I am! It's my duty as Sheriff." The cat snorted, double-checking Geraldine's holster, as well as his appearance in the cycle's mirrors.

"It's your duty to kiss the king's ass, Mittens." She huffed. "Your job description certainly doesn't entail stealing _ my _bounty!"

"When they're in my territory it sure does!"

"I mean, they technically _ aren't _in Pureheart Valley yet…" Badgerclops muttered.

"Why does that matter, they're criminals! If they're running from the law, they need to be brought to justice!"

"I'm not disagreeing with you Mittens, all I'm saying is that _ I'm _being paid by the kingdom who wants to capture these guys, and you aren't. I get dibs."

He rolled his eyes as if that was the most unbelievable thing he'd ever heard. "I think you're forgetting that you're under house arrest, Tanya."

"And I think you're forgetting who you're talking to, _Mao Mao_." She hissed, her anger flaring, "If you think you can keep me from doing _my_ _job_, you are sorely mistaken, you stubborn little-"

"Okay, both of you, shut up!" Badgerclops stood up from his desk, physically pushing the two apart; it seemed like neither of them had realized how close they had gotten to one another during their heated exchange; their noses barely scraping against one another's. "I think it's pretty clear what our next course of action should be."

"Oh, you think so, do you? Then why don't you tell us what we should do, Badgerclops?" Tanya rolled her eyes. "I'm just _ dying _to know."

* * *

"I don't know why I agreed with this." She muttered, checking the GPS on her Bountab, making sure she was still steering the Aero-Truck towards the pulsing dot in the Southern woods.

Mao Mao sighed, fiddling with the seatbelt that was snug against his neck; uncomfortable with the fact that he was in the tight passenger seat of her truck. "For once I agree with you."

"_ Oh boo hoo, the two of you guys have to sit beside each other for ten minutes," _ Badgerclops yelled at them from where he was driving the Aero-Cycle beside the truck, the wind making his words difficult to hear. " _ Give me a break, this was the only way to get what you both wanted, so stop complaining! You both get to go take down the bad guys or whatever, right? This made the most sense." _

"...I _ suppose _ you're right, Badgerclops." The cat grumbled. "Using the Aero-Cycle _ and _ the Aero-Truck for both our transportation and the criminal's is without a doubt the safest route, considering my cycle can't hold more than three people comfortably at a time. And for us to take both vehicles we would have to have at least two drivers... I just don't get why _ she _gets to drive the truck!"

"Because I'd rather die than let you put your little _ mittens _ on my baby." She teased.

"Okay, first of all, they're _ NOT mittens _ !" Mao Mao growled, before taking a calming breath. "and secondly, fine, whatever. You can drive your stupid golden truck, but why can't I drive _ my _ Aero-Cycle?!"

"Because you have to keep an eye on me, remember? You had this _ whole _ thing about how you're never going to let me out of your sights, or _ god _ forbid I break any laws, like _ littering _-"

"Ugh, fine fine, you made your point, just tell me how much longer till we get to the bad guys." He huffed, changing the subject.

Tanya glanced at the tablet with a smirk, "Seven minutes. I hope that isn't too long for you to be nuzzled up beside me Sheriff, I'd hate to see you uncomfortable~"

"Please, making me uncomfortable is probably like a drug to you." He muttered, attempting to scoot himself farther away from the tanuki, so their shoulders and thighs no longer brushed against one another's. "I just hope your poor behavior doesn't rub off on Adorabat."

"I doubt it. She's far too obsessed with you to care about what I do." Tanya replied honestly, ignoring the way Mao Mao smirked at her comment. "...Speaking of the little one, are you sure she will be fine on her own?"

_ "Yeah, don't worry about it. I told Adorabat to call us with our home phone if anything comes up or goes wrong." _Badgerclops yelled over the wind.

"Besides, she's grown a lot these past few months. I trust that she will be responsible and dutiful while we are away, like the apprentice Sheriff she is!"

Tanya sighed. "I think you guys are forgetting she's a five-year-old."

"Hey, what does that mean?"

* * *

  
  


** _Meanwhile..._ **

"I'm...so..._ BORED!" _ Adorabat screeched, hanging off the back of the couch, her eyes lazily glued to the tv screen; which was spouting an ad for some sort of Aero-Vehicle. "They _ never _ bring me anywhere!"

The bat rolled off her seat, landing with a thump in front of the coffee table; only for her large blue ears to pop back over the wooden surface, which was covered in papers splayed with her art. "I know Badgerclops told me to stay here and keep an eye on things, but that's so stupid! I'm just as much as a hero as them!"

In an act of anger, the young bat screeched and slapped the towering pile of her art off the table; the papers fluttering to the ground surrounding her. "It's just not _ fair!" _

She fell silent, the gentle murmurs of the commercial filling the empty livingroom. Adorabat let out a soft sigh and let her eyes fall to her now scattered art.

"Dang it, now I gotta clean this up, or else they'll yell at me…" She scooched herself over to where the majority of the mess was, as she began to pile them once again. "...I bet wouldn't yell at me. She probably thinks messes are cool..."

Adorabat glanced down at the crinkled papers in her wings, inspecting the crayon imprinted on one of the pages. It was a messy drawing of a pirate cat; sporting everything from an eyepatch, leg peg, and a big old hat. It even had a cool looking sword attached to its hip.

"Hey, it's the drawing I made of Catbeard!" She grinned, happy to think of something else. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

She had wanted to show Tanya this particular piece a few weeks back, but had no idea where it went; it must've been deep in her paper pile. "Wow, I thought you were a goner! If only the real Catbeard came back this easily!"

Catbeard was one of Adorabat's favorite plushies from when she was little, but recently it had gone missing even _ before _the doodle ever did. Of course, the bat knew where the toy was, but when she attempted to get it back; Mao Mao grew angry with his apprentice.

"Hmf, that was lousy day…" She reminisced, thinking back to when she broke into Tanya's cell in an attempt to steal the plush. Catbeard had been one of the toys Badgerclops had piled into the cell when Mao Mao asked him to make it seem _ homey _. For some reason, the cat was adamant about the tanuki keeping the plushie, even though it seemed Tanya could care less.

At the thought, Adorabat looked up to where the cell stood near Mao Mao's desk. _I wonder… would they notice if I took it while they were gone? There must be some type of laser, or monster, or _something _Mao Mao had set up to guard Catbeard while he was away, but I'm not scared!_ _If it means I could save my friend, then I'll do it! No matter the cost!_

At the heartwarming thought, the bat jumped and flapped her wings briskly; flying over to the cell in only a few seconds. As if Adorabat was a spy, she stayed on the roof as she crawled towards her destination; the barred door was open and inviting. She hesitated, careful for any boobie traps that could've been set, but after a few moments of careful observation, it seemed she was in the clear. With a wide smile; the bat entered the cell and dropped onto the cot. _ That was easy! _

The bed was covered in layers of warm blankets, while the plushies Adorabat were focused had been pushed against the concrete wall; clearly used as a way to block out the cold. It didn't take long for Adorabat's golden eyes to land on her friend, and with a happy grin, she picked him up. Catbeard hadn't changed at all in the three months he was gone, and the young bat couldn't be more pleased.

"Catbeard, I'm so happy to see you here!" She giggled, "When we get back to the livingroom I wanna hear all about how Tanya _ tortured _ you for months on end, yet you stayed _ hopeful, _knowing that one day I shall return and- wait, what's that?"

And just like that, the five-year-old's attention span had wavered; and she dropped the cat plushie off the cot without a second thought. Adorabat's gaze was glued to a bundle of green fabric that had been hidden underneath Catbeard and the other plushies.

"Wait, is that Ms.Tanya's capey thing?" The bat reached out and picked it up. "What were you doing hidden under there?"

The fabric was surprisingly soft, and without much thought, Adorabat pressed her cheek against it; letting out a soft sigh at the comforting feeling. It smelled like the tanuki, but the bat didn't mind; if anything, that made the feeling even _ more _ pleasing. Adorabat liked a lot, she helped her with her cool new battle moves! And she made funny jokes that would always make Mao Mao turn all kinds of colors. It was awesome having such a cool person living with them!

Adorabat pulled her face away from the cape, letting the soft cloth fall to her lap; although she couldn't help but feel surprised at the soft _ thump _it had made when it landed on her peg leg. Raising an eyebrow, she took it in her wings again.

"Huh… you're kinda heavy for a cool cape, aren't you?" She let her wings run through the material, only stopping when she felt a definite _ lump _in the fabric. "Why are you lumpy…?"

Sitting up straighter on the cot, Adorabat flipped the cape around so the backside was facing upwards; her eyes immediately falling to a mysterious slit in the fabric. _ Wait… is that a secret pocket?! _

Without a moment of hesitation, almost too quickly, the bat screeched in excitement and had buried her wings in the pocket; grabbing at anything she could. When she pulled her wing out, there had been only two things inside; a golden coin, and a mysterious photo. Adorabat gazed at the contents with a furrowed brow. _ Huh, I thought it was gonna be cooler! _

Her gaze immediately fell to the coin, which the young girl hadn't recognized. Although she couldn't read that well, she managed to sound out _ Lokankey Kingdom _ , which was imprinted into the metal. _ I think I recognize that… _ She fiddled with it for a bit, but eventually she lot interest; as a five-year-old does.

So finally, she turned her attention to the photo. Picking it up gingerly, she inspected the thicker piece of paper. _ I don't get what it's a picture of! It's just black and white blobs… _ Turning it around raised even more questions.

Written in the top left corner in clean swirly blue pen, was _ eight weeks _; and below that seemed to be a phone number. Adorabat frowned.

"What is-"

** _"Save my bacon, I'm really in a jam!"_ **

Adorabat screeched in surprise, her eyes going wide as she jumped off the cot; the mysterious items forgotten. "Oh no!"

** _"Save my bacon, I'm really in a jam!"_ **

"It's the king's alarm!"

* * *

_ "Dude, look! It's them!" _

At the sound of Badgerclops' yell, Mao Mao's posture straightened and he looked down into the snow-covered forest below; his head poking out of the truck's window to do so. Far below, although they were barely pinpricks, was Rufus and Reggie; only visible because they stood in a rather large clearing.

"Tanya, get us down there!"

"Way ahead of you, Mittens." She smirked, angling the truck into a steep descent; Badgerclops not far behind them.

Mao Mao couldn't help but let out a laugh as a genuine grin stretched across his cheeks. Sure, helping the Sweetypies with the snowstorm was important, but a good old brawl with some criminal jerks was one of the cat's greatest joys in life. He couldn't wait to deal with these bozos again!

Maybe it was because of his loud laugh, or perhaps it was the shadows the Aero-Vehicles cast onto the snowy clearing, but it didn't take long for Rufus and Reggie to notice them. Before they had seen the heroes, they had been walking towards Pureheart valley, but now that they had their attention, the two were booking it away from the village.

Mao Mao couldn't make out their voices perfectly from where he was, thirty-five feet above them, but he knew they were freaking out.

_ "Damn it, they recognized us!" _ Badgerclops hissed, _ "We have to touch down fast-" _

"There isn't enough time!" The cat replied coolly, opening the truck door midair.

"Mittens, you can't be serious!" Tanya looked shocked, an expression he usually would've cherished; it was rare for him to surprise _ her _ for once. "You'd break your legs-"

"Land as quickly as you can!" He ignored her, unbuckling himself. "And don't run off!"

And with that, Mao Mao leaped from the Aero-Truck towards the snowy clearing thirty feet below. There was a few seconds where he was free-falling, his stomach rising to his throat as he saw the snow-covered ground getting closer and closer and closer until-

_ Poof! _

There must've been at _ least _ six feet of snow on the forest floor, making Mao Mao's landing as soft as falling on a pillow; although there _ was _ a clear downside. With the cat being only three and a half feet tall, it was rather… _ difficult _to move through the white powder.

Luckily, it seemed the criminal duo were in a similar situation.

"Oi, boss! My feet are stuck!"

"Y'all can't be serious! Give me your hand-"

_ Huh _ . Mao Mao raised an eyebrow as his eyes locked onto his targets; his legs still buried in the snow. _ They sound… different. _

The rattling of the Aero-Vehicles above broke him out of his thoughts. _ Ugh, there's no time to focus on that! No matter how they sound now, they're still criminals that need to be brought to justice! _Shaking his head, the cat finally managed to pull himself out of the snow. "Stop, in the name of the law!"

Rufus and Reggie both hesitated, turning around to meet his glare; their eyes eventually falling to the golden sword in his grasp.

"Oh by golly, where did y'all come from?!" Rufus squawked. "My, you weren't supposed to notice us for another gosh darn hour!"

"Yeh!" Reggie added lamely, still half stuck in the snow. "That's real rude to show up so early!"

"I don't abide by your schedule of unlawfulness! I am here to put a stop to whatever criminals acts you have planned!" Mao Mao replied with a bit _ too _ much gusto; truth be told, his feet were freezing, and his little speech kinda took his mind off it.

"God, has he _ always _ sounded like he has a stick up his ass?" A familiar voice called from behind him, making the cat's cheeks redden.

"You get used to it." Another voice added cheekily.

"Badgerclops, Tanya, you're ruining my entrance!" Mao Mao whined, glaring back at the pair; who only smirked innocently in reply, looking _ too _similar. Behind them were the Aero-Vehicles, parked a little ways off in a less snowy clearing.

"Oh my, now _ what _ do we have here~" At the flirtatious southern drawl, the three turned their attention back to the criminal duo; more specifically, Rufus. The fox had his eyes focused on a certain tanuki, a flirtatious grin spread across his muzzle. "Now you're _ quite _ the little missy!"

"Wow… you're sounding _ a lot _ more cowboyish than I remember." Badgerclops frowned at the fox. "Did you travel down south recently, because I swear your accent was different before-"

"Pardon me, my darling," Rufus chuckled, interrupting Badgerclops' question, "I _ must _ inquire if there was a chance I could receive your cellular number? Why, perhaps we could _ hang out _later, as the kids say. Maybe get a drink?"

_ "...what?" _ Mao Mao answered for Tanya lowly, his shoulder squaring up as his voice turned gravelly; it seemed like the hero didn't want to pardon Rufus' question at all. In fact, _ it looked like he wanted to straight-up murder him _.

Reggie seemed to notice the change in behavior from the Sheriff, his paws fidgeting nervously, "Um, Hos- I mean, R-Rufus! W-we should head out! Boss wanted us to lead them-"

"Now hold on there, not until this sweet lass answers my question!" Rufus winked at Tanya, placing a paw on Reggie's head to silence him.

Tanya raised an eyebrow at the display, popping her hip out as she crossed her arms over her sweater-clad chest; she didn't seem impressed. "...Huh, can't say I expected this when I got up this morning."

"Yeah, tying up a creepy southern fox and a fat little raccoon wasn't what I had in mind either." Badgerclops huffed.

Rufus blinked. "Hold on now boy, what do you mean by _ tying up-" _

Before he could finish his sentence Badgerclops' cybernetic arm lengthened; managing to circle Rufus and Reggie and trap them before they even had the chance to run.

"I mean I'm gonna tie you up, duh." The badger deadpanned.

"Oh, rats!" Reggie yelped, his little legs kicking in the air helplessly.

Mao Mao let out a soft sigh, sheathing Geraldine. "Nice work Badgerclops."

"Don't worry about it, dude. You seemed preoccupied for a second there, I thought it would be best to just get it over with." The badger answered truthfully with a shrug.

The cat nodded with a frown. It was true, for some reason, Rufus' undignified groveling at Tanya's feet (metaphorically of course) pulled the rug out from under the hero; causing him to be quite… distracted for a few moments.

"I apologize Badgerclops, I didn't mean to lose my focus. I don't know what came over me..."

"Already forgotten, man. Let's just get out of here! My feet are freezing!"

"Hold on."

Badgerclops and Mao Mao turned their attention to Tanya, who had padded carefully over to the pair trapped in the cybernetic arm. Her brows were furrowed, and she was inspecting the pair's faces rather closely.

"My my, that's awfully close, ain't it?" Rufus laughed awkwardly, although he didn't make any attempt to pull away. "Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're trying to sneak a smooch!"

Tanya didn't back down either, her eyes glowing with _ something _that Mao Mao couldn't name. Determination? Amusement? Hatred? He couldn't put his finger on it.

She giggled like a schoolgirl, which was so out of character for the tanuki that Mao Mao almost called her out on it. "A smooch, you say? No, I'm afraid not." Tanya finally pulled away, fluttering her eyelashes in a teasing manner.

"After all..." She giggled again, and only then did Mao Mao understand the glow in her eyes; she was _ gloating. _"...Ostriches aren't my type~"

…

"Wait, what?" Mao Mao asked.

Tanya turned back to face him, a familiar smirk stretched from cheek to cheek. "Those two, right there, are wearing some of the shittiest disguises I've ever seen. Trust me, I would know."

"N-no we aren't!" The person who _ appeared _to look like Reggie cried. "I swear on my mama!"

"Dude, he swears on his mama." Badgerclops snickered.

"We should probably take his word for it then." Tanya smiled teasingly; it was kinda weird how well they seemed to be getting along now.

"Wait wait, hold on. So you're telling me these two _ aren't _Rufus and Reggie?" Mao Mao questioned.

"Nope! Someone must've seen these two idiots and mistaken them for those guys, so they called it in to the bounty office." Tanya shrugged. "What you're looking at right now is an ostrich and a rat in two crappy looking _ "Reggie and Rufus" _ costumes."

"Wait… an ostrich-"

"And a rat?" Mao Mao finished Badgerclops' sentence.

"...Shit." The badger sighed, immediately retracting his arm; which happened to grab the disguises and _ pull _ them off the two criminals; leaving a naked Ratarang and Boss Hosstrich in the snow.

"Hey!" Hosstrich yelped, attempting to cover himself with his small wings.

"Yeah, what's the big idea-!" Ratarang was interrupted by a sword being thrust under his throat.

"_ Sky Pirates _!" Mao Mao hissed. "What is it that you're planning?!"

"There's no way you can make us talk!" Hosstrich yelped bravely, only to immediately back off at the sight of Badgerclops' arm canon being aimed directly in between his eyes.

"Oi, fine fine! We'll spill!" The smaller of the two finally cried. "Orangasnake told us to draw you away from the valley!"

_ That makes sense, I guess. They were probably wanting to steal more food from the dump. _"Okay, but why are you dressed up as Rufus and Reggie?"

"Why, he heard how angry you two were at those scammers when you ran them away from town, you see! He figured you'd be so focused on taking them down if they decided to wander back into this dear old valley, that the airship could sneak in without notice!"

"Plus, with how smart the Boss is, he noticed how well disguising yourself seems to work for the Sheriff's department! So he wanted to give it a try!" The rat added tearfully.

"...Wait, ostrich guy, did you say airship!?" Mao Mao's eyes widened, shocked. "That could only mean… they're attempting to steal the Ruby Pureheart again!" _ I didn't expect them to get their ship running that quickly! They must've discovered some other way of fixing it without the Aero-Cycle! _

Mao Mao was knocked out of his thoughts at the sound of Badgerclops murmuring, "Wait, so Adorabat is-"

"-back in the village, dealing with this mess all _ alone _ ?" Tanya pinched her muzzle in between her fingers, sighing. "This is why leaving a five-year-old alone is a _ terrible _idea."

As if it were scripted, the familiar sound of a ringing phone came from Mao Mao's scarlet belt; it was clear who it was.

It took only a few seconds for the cat to pull it out and raise it to his ear, "Adorabat are you-"

"_ THEKING'SALARMWENTOFFBECAUSETHESKYPIRATESARETRYINGTOSTEALTHERUBYAGAINANDITRIEDTOSTOPTHEMBUTTHEY'REONTHEIRSHIPANDICAN'TREACHITBYMYSELFSO-" _

"_ Adorabat, calm down! I don't understand! Tell me where you-" _

_ "MAOMAODON'TGETMADBECAUSEIGOTTAHANGUPNOWBECAUSEITHINKTHEY'REAIMINGTHESHIP'SBIGGUNSATMEJUSTPLEASECOMEBACKSOONOKAYBYE!" _

The line went dead, and the clearing was cast into silence. Mao Mao mindlessly placed his phone back in his belt, his ears folded back against his head.

And then Mao Mao did something Tanya had only seen him do once before at the king's Galla, thirteen weeks prior. Unfortunately, the circumstances were _ much _different this time around, yet she could still tell it was coming before the curse even left his mouth.

"Shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The climax is coming! Ok but like making Mao Mao swear is like... my favorite thing lmao
> 
> I have a Tumblr btw, I post drawings and ideas and if you like this fic I recommend you check it out! I've been posting tons of stuff about the planned Tanyamao fankid, so if you wanna find out about them, my username is Floopalopp!
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave kudos and a review!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Till next time!


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